Fracture
by Naccarat
Summary: For as long as he could remember, Jaune had a special talent: he was able to break anything. Due to his breaking various objects and furniture, he was passed down from family to family, until one day, a professor from Beacon Academy came to visit him.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

 ** _Rated M_ cause I am paranoid.**

 **AU: Jaune has a _different Semblance_.**

 **Much like my other fic _Jaune's Grimm Hand_ , this fic will dive into** **various** **directions. Friendship, adventure, drama, slice of life, romance, comedy, action, everything goes, I can do whatever the hell I want.**

 **Here we go.**

* * *

 **Fracture: Prologue.**

* * *

Today was a bad day for Jaune.

He'd never been a very good person, really, but today… Yeah, today really took the cake.

After all, he'd just set fire to his foster family's house.

The alarm was ringing loudly in Jaune's ears, but he was already used to it.

"…How did this happen." Jaune mumbled to himself as he watched the kitchen burn, the flames crackling wildly.

His foster family being absent, Jaune had tried to make himself some noodles.

Which made everything explode somehow. Don't ask him how. Jaune had no idea. He had thought he couldn't possibly mess up something as simple as _noodles_ , but apparently, he did.

"Oh well." Jaune shrugged to himself.

Not a good person. Jaune was not a good person at all.

He grabbed the entrance door's handle to head outside and…

 _Crack!_

The handle broke.

Jaune sighed.

His curse was really doing whatever it wanted today. In the past, it had never managed to set fire to a whole house like that, today was a first.

Jaune tossed the handle to the side and applied his palm on the lock.

 _Crack!_

The lock broke down swiftly.

How? Jaune had no idea.

It just broke, somehow. It was some kind of magic power or something like that.

He opened the door and left the house.

There was a number of people gathered in front of the blaze. All the neighbors.

"There was the sound of an explosion, and then it started to burn…"

"Was there a dust leak?"

"Maybe it was incendiary…"

"We don't even know if they've gotten out…"

"I feel sorry for them."

"No, they are still working at this time. They aren't at home."

"Where's the fire department?"

"They recently adopted a young boy… A real calamity from what I heard."

"Ah!"

"It's him!"

"Get away from the fire!"

"Glad you're okay…"

"Stay calm."

"…"

Jaune was confused. One second they were calling him a calamity, the other they worried about him?

Still, it was nice to see people care.

"I'm okay…" Jaune mumbled, looking down.

They were probably giving accusatory glares. At these times, it's always best to look down, Jaune had learned.

"…"

"What happened?"

"…I broke the kitchen." Jaune said.

"You broke it! I see, so it really was a defective kitchen."

…No, it hadn't been defective at all. It had worked just fine.

But Jaune stayed quiet. He wanted to avoid the responsibility for a little longer.

* * *

 **Later.**

"You delinquent!"

Jaune winced at the sharp voice of the woman.

Everyone, meet Miss Crappert.

"Do you realize how much work you're giving me?"

Miss Crappert was the person in charge of passing him from family to family.

She was a member of an organization helping orphans, something like that.

A nice, kind job like that, helping children getting a proper childhood.

Right now they were in a sort of... orphanage? Or was it just a place for teens to sleep? Jaune didn't know.

"Every single time! All you do is break everything you touch, a disaster waiting to happen!"

"…"

"Are you listening to me, boy?"

"Yes."

Did Miss Crappert ever call him Jaune?

For as long as Jaune could remember, she had always called him ' _boy_ '.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"…Nothing… I'm sorry."

"As usual! A complete waste of space and resources!"

 _I know. No need to repeat it like that._

It wasn't like Jaune could control it.

It was a weird curse that Jaune had had for as long as he could remember.

He broke things. Lots of things.

It was his own, personal talent… Well, at least he was good at something!

"This one lasted the longest, five whole months." Miss Crappet groaned from behind her ugly glasses. "And here I thought you had a good thing going with this one…" She sighed, and shook her head. "At your age, no family will take you anymore. You've turned seventeen last week. No one will take a seventeen-year-old boy in their house."

"It's fine…" Jaune muttered.

"Do you understand, boy? Our organization cannot take care of you anymore. Once your eighteenth birthday arrives, you'll be left alone. On your own in the real world!"

"…"

Jaune remained silent.

He was a very quiet type of guy.

He was used to this. He just had to let the storm pass.

"…The next one is gonna be your last chance. You have to make it work." Miss Crappet mused, turning away from him. "I'll see what I can do. Modern problems require modern solutions… But after that, you'll be on your own. This will be your last opportunity to change for the better."

"…Okay."

"Now, we have to face the parents; I hope you're ready to apologize…"

"Yes…"

Jaune followed Miss Crappert as she led him downstairs, and soon the voices of Jaune's foster parents could be heard as they were discussing in a living room.

"That boy is a disaster!" Jaune's foster father, Rick, was saying.

"Now, Rick," said a consoling voice. It belonged to Mary, Jaune's foster mother.

It felt like a bit of a stretch to call them foster parents after only five months.

"I can't take it anymore!" Rick sputtered. "He destroys everything he touches!"

"He means well," Mary said. "He's a kindhearted boy."

"First the washing machine," Rick ranted. "Then the lawnmower. Then the upstairs bath. Now the kitchen… Which burned the whole goddamn house! All. In less. Than a year!"

"We knew the risks... He's had a hard life," Mary said. "He just tries too hard – how would you feel, being passed from family to family, never having a home…?"

"Well, can you blame people for getting rid of him?" Rick pointed out. "I –"

Miss Crappert coughed loudly as she and Jaune arrived downstairs.

They quieted down.

"M-miss Crappert," Rick gasped after opening the door. "And Jaune. I… I'm sorry," His voice faltered.

Like they always did when the time comes.

"I-I just-"

"No," Miss Crappert cut him with a sympathetic smile. "You already lasted longer than any other family."

Five months.

 _I guess that's a lot when it comes to taking care of me._ Jaune thought, his stomach twisting. He had even started to like these two, but it can't be helped.

"You will be reimbursed like all the other families." Miss Crappert explained. "As per our agreement."

This was something that still confused Jaune.

The families he was handed to were warned of his destructive habits and were reimbursed for all the damage he did.

Where did the money come from? Jaune had no idea who was funding this.

And he didn't really care, either. He was a simple guy that didn't really consider the bigger picture.

"J-jaune…" Mary's voice trembled. "I-I We're so sorry. We couldn't… Just…"

"No, it's natural... I'm sorry for burning the house." Jaune apologized, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Jaune had actually grown to care for these two.

It was too bad, Rick and Mary would have made great parents for a normal kid.

"J-jaune…"

Mary continued sniffing as she looked at Jaune while Rick merely sighed.

"I can arrange for him to be taken tomorrow." Miss Crappert said.

"That soon?" Rick sighed. "Well, there is no choice. But…" he looked at Jaune. "I hope you solve your problem, kid."

Problem?

It's not really something that Jaune could solve magically. But Jaune appreciated the concern. The man had tried to help him, after all, though he wasn't able to handle it.

"Thanks," he mumbled, and after another exchange of apologies and goodbyes, the couple left.

If it's only a few months since you know them, goodbyes are not that painful. Jaune was used to it.

But these two, actually didn't get _that_ angry compared to other families, especially after burning their entire house. Why were they so... _chill_ about it? This made Jaune feel all the more guilty, and he sighed softly.

Miss Crappert turned to him.

"You better not break anything here," she warned.

"Yes."

"Now go to bed." She ordered, "You still have school tomorrow."

"Ah, that's true…"

"I will talk to someone next evening. Don't be late when you come back."

On these words, the woman left him. No small talk, no consolation.

Jaune went back upstairs into the small bedroom he had been lent.

He walked to the bed, sat down and leaned back into it, releasing a quiet sigh.

 _Crack!_

"A-ah!"

…One of the bed's slat just broke.

So much for not breaking anything…

* * *

 **The** **morning** **after.**

Jaune still had to go to school the day after.

So... Let's go through Jaune's typical day at school.

...

First thing in the morning today, sports class.

The worst. Jaune had no stamina and no strength!

"Haaa… haaa…" Jaune was panting as he arrived dead last at the ending line again.

"Good work, Jaune." The teacher still congratulated him.

Meanwhile, the girls were all gushing on the fastest boy in the class. Jaune wished he could be cool like these guys who were good at sports.

...

But running wasn't the only thing he was bad at!

Sports with balls were a no-go too.

Because whenever he would grab a balloon or try to shoot it,

 _Crack!_

...The ball exploded! And the teacher would then yell at him for breaking furniture, like all the others.

Same goes with racket sports, or anything involving objects!

So he was forced to sit out during these lessons, watching his classmates having fun on their own.

Jaune didn't have friends, so he already didn't have much interaction with people his age.

However, because of his tendency to break things, they even robbed him of interacting with his classmates during school activities... This made it all the harder for Jaune to befriend people.

Not that he knew how to approach someone, of course.

...

In English class and Math class, the same thing was happening.

"Um, excuse me, I have forgotten my pen…"

"Ask your neighbor to lend you a pen." The teacher said.

"No!" Jaune's neighbor would say. "He always breaks everything I give him. I don't want to lend him anything anymore! Get your own stuff!"

Jaune couldn't rely on his classmates to lend him things. He could not afford a single memory lapse!

"Jaune, what is the answer?"

"E-eh?!" Jaune gaped in panic. "U-um, er, I… I-I don't know…"

The teacher sighed. "Really, Jaune? It's such a simple question though…"

The class snickered.

"He's so stupid…"

"Poor guy."

"I feel bad for him."

That's right. Not only Jaune wasn't sportive, but he wasn't book-smart either!

In fact, he was one of the worst at maths and had a bad memory too.

This was because whenever he would touch a book,

 _Crack!_

Sometimes, the book would get torn apart by his curse!

Especially if Jaune was asked to read a certain paragraph for the whole class, Jaune would get nervous, because he had stage-fright. When he gets nervous, his curse would feel it too and rip up the book! This usually resulted in the class laughing at him, which in turn gave him even more stage-fright. A never-ending cycle!

Therefore, Jaune did not read much in his life, and didn't have the opportunity to educate himself properly.

Something like reading books seemed like a luxury for Jaune, who broke everything and had no possessions of his own.

...

"Hey, dobe! Go get me lunch! Wait, no, you would only spill it everywhere! Like you always do, fucking dumbass!"

"Bwahahaha!"

Jaune's classmates were often making fun of him as well.

He was bullied quite a lot because of this curse. It couldn't be helped, children are cruel like that.

Though at the same time, if things got 'physically' dangerous, the curse would protect him from getting hurt by injuring people.

It was terrible! Because of Jaune, there had been times when people got hurt really bad.

So Jaune tried his best to appease his bullies' anger so that things never turned into a fight. Getting physical could mean sending his classmates to the hospital for six months! Jaune couldn't let that happen, it was just wrong.

But as he was getting bullied, his fear and frustration would sometimes cause his curse to act randomly.

The thing with bullying, is that it's a constant thing that happens in school, everywhere. During lunch, during break time, during class, or even in the bathroom! There was no escape.

And so his curse was bound to lash out at little things sometimes.

So...

Whenever he would take lunch, sometimes he would break or twist the knife or the fork.

Whenever he would make a call, sometimes the scroll would break, or just cease to function.

Whenever he would write something, sometimes the pen or the paper would break or get torn apart.

Whenever he would drink, sometimes the glass would break, spilling water on his clothes, which he didn't have many of...

The list went on and on. Though it didn't happen _that_ often, really... It wasn't like he couldn't touch anything, Jaune just had to be careful. Only one time, however, could ruin his day.

This was why, Jaune didn't have any possessions either, except for his clothes.

Anything he touched could break at any moment. He had long since given up on having a scroll now.

Things like a picture of his biological family were lost - or torn up - long ago, Jaune assumed.

Such was the nature of his power.

...

In fact, there had been a time when Jaune had fractured a whole road, making cracks spread like a web on the ground around him, effectively shutting down the traffic.

Sometimes, if his emotions get out of control, his power could prove even wilder.

One day, Jaune had lost control of his emotions, and he had nearly destroyed a whole building!

Jaune still remembered it, that fateful day, when he had been six years old, his power had gone completely out of control, and a Huntress had come to save him.

He still dreamed about that Huntress every other night.

* * *

" _Listen, Jaune. Your curse is not a curse, it's a semblance! Some people say that Semblances define personality._

 _But, they are wrong! Do not listen to them! Semblance and personality are not connected._

 _Just because you break things doesn't make you any less human, Jaune._

 _Some people are fast, or strong, or smart,_

 _Some are clumsy, or weak, or bad with words…_

 _Some even spread bad luck._

 _You, you break things._

 _You see?_

 _Breaking things, is just another one of these weird characteristics! Everyone has his own uniqueness, his own peculiar quirk."_

" _R-really?" The eyes of child-Jaune widened, full of hope._

" _Of course! Everyone is unique! You must embrace that part of yourself, fill your heart with resolve, and continue to live positively!_

 _It may be hard… It may be tough. You will suffer for sure._

 _But this suffering will make you a better person. A kinder person. This will fuel the burning kindness inside your heart!_

 _Do you understand? This is the true secret behind one's charm._

 _Be human!_

 _That is all."_

 _Jaune gaped at the woman who was smiling softly at him, her words resonating within him._

" _U-um… Could I maybe see you again sometime?"_

* * *

That Huntress who had saved him that day was why Jaune hadn't been caught into a bad development and hadn't become a delinquent.

I mean, if you looked at the state of his life, it was a wonder, really, that Jaune hadn't turned into a bad person. It was all thanks to this white-cloaked, silver-eyed Huntress.

Some nights, he would remember their conversations, as the Huntress had accepted to drop by to chat with him, once every other week.

…

Well, this Huntress didn't come to see him anymore,

One day, without warning or goodbye, she had suddenly stopped visiting him.

But it couldn't be helped, Jaune was a bad person after all. His only good point was breaking things.

He was already very thankful for this Huntress, even if she didn't come to see him anymore. It had already been more than he deserved for someone like him who kept breaking stuff.

* * *

 **The next evening.**

"…answer all her questions truthfully, and try to sound smart. I know your body is a little weak, and you are not the brightest, but this is your only chance to make something good out of yourself. Do you understand, Jaune?"

"Yes, Miss Crappert."

"Good. Don't embarrass me." The woman nodded, satisfied, and opened the door to her office. "And remember to be polite."

She closed the door behind him after she pushed him inside.

Jaune panicked as his eyes settled on a woman sat at a desk.

"Hello."

"U-um… Hello." Jaune hesitated.

The woman had very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were a sharp, bright green and she wore thin ovular glasses, giving her a strict, mature look.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." The woman greeted.

"Ah." Jaune blinked, as he was caught staring. "My name is-"

"Jaune, yes, I know. I have your file."

"…Oh." Jaune blinked again.

His file? What file?

The woman smiled. "Would you like to take a seat?"

"…Thanks." Jaune mumbled and sat in front of her. "Are you… Uh… My new... My new... foster…?"

"…No." She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm not here to adopt you, or take you with me, Jaune. I'm afraid you're a little too old for that."

"That's okay." Jaune gave her a smile to reassure her, seeing her sorry look.

She gave him a sweet smile, before looking down to read a folder.

"Jaune. You've had quite a journey with all these different parents… Thirty-two different foster families. The duration of your stay ranging from five months… to _three_ days."

Jaune winced as he was reminded of some families that hadn't tolerated his habits of breaking things.

Miss Goodwitch continued to read. "Every time, the reason was… breaking furniture… or in some rare cases, injuring people."

Jaune looked down as his heart clenched itself.

In these situations, it was best to look down and wait for the storm to pass.

"However, there is one thing they didn't mention." Miss Goodwitch declared and slid a piece of an old newspaper towards him.

Jaune squinted his eyes to read the piece of paper.

' _Young civilian child kills three Grimm and becomes the town's hero.'_

Jaune blinked.

"Jaune. Is this true?" Miss Goodwitch asked him, narrowing her eyes. "Did you kill these Grimm?"

Jaune looked away. "…That was six years ago."

"…That's remarkable! For an eleven-year-old boy to destroy three of those monsters… Without any training. That's unheard of. Impressive."

"Th-thank you…" Jaune blushed.

For such a little compliment, he was quite embarrassed.

This was because he was not used to compliments.

Usually, when Jaune broke things, people yelled at him. Yet here, he was complimented for it?

This was new. In fact, he hadn't even been aware that the media had made a story out of it.

But Jaune knew better than the media.

Jaune was no hero, he only knew how to break. That time, he hadn't done anything. His curse had protected him so that he could continue living on to break more things. It was that simple. There had been no heroic bravery involved.

"Miss Crappert has told me your story." Miss Goodwitch declared. "You seem to be quite… destructive."

"My curse doesn't destroy." Jaune frowns, not liking the idea. "It just breaks."

"Your curse?" Miss Goodwitch repeated, confused.

"Yes… My, uh, my talent."

"Your talent?" She frowned, leaning forward. "Do you mean to say that your Semblance… is to break things?"

"…"

Jaune sunk into silence.

This situation was too familiar for him.

If he was right, then this woman was going to shout at him and tell him he was a waste of space. Something like that.

So the best option was to stay quiet.

"…"

"…"

She did not yell.

"This is not a curse, Jaune. It is a Semblance."

A memory resurfaced through Jaune's mind.

 _Listen, Jaune. Your curse is not a curse, it's a semblance!_

 _It is just another weird unique characteristic._

"…"

Miss Goodwitch leaned forward, observing him from above her glasses. "You are in need of guidance, Jaune."

"…?"

"I was lost like you before." She revealed, her eyes turning nostalgic. "I could not control my semblance, and ended up breaking quite a lot of things."

"…!"

Jaune's eyes widened. Someone like him? Impossible! She had gone through the same thing?

At this moment, Jaune started paying more attention to Miss Goodwitch's words. If she understood what he had gotten through, then perhaps he could learn from her?

"You are in need of a foster family, is that correct?" Miss Goodwitch asked with a gentle tone.

Jaune looked away. "…No."

"Are you lying to me, Jaune?"

"I'm fine on my own… It's okay." Jaune smiled, trying to reassure her.

Jaune liked this woman, she was nice to him.

That was why it was best that she didn't take him with her.

"…"

"…"

"I have an offer for you." She said carefully, observing him. "Will you hear me out?"

"…" Jaune frowned.

This was new territory. An offer? What did this mean? Usually, he never had much of a choice in the matter.

He nodded once, narrowing his eyes as he stared at her suspiciously.

"I am a professor at Beacon, an academy for Huntsmen."

"…?"

"Come study to Beacon. You could learn how to control your semblance-"

"It can't be controlled."

"…Jaune-"

"It can't. Be controlled." Jaune insisted sternly.

"…Even then, you can still put it to good use." Miss Goodwitch replied, "Six years ago you were able to save numerous lives and even kill some Grimm, were you not? You have potential."

"…R-really?" Jaune blurted out, eyes wide.

He immediately regretted it, grimaced and cursed his mouth.

His mouth had spoken on its own! Jaune couldn't help but be envious of the opportunity Miss Goodwitch presented him, so he couldn't control his mouth, but… At the same time, he was a bit hesitant about this offer.

"We will provide the funds for your scholarship." Miss Goodwitch continued. "You will enter based on my and the headmaster's recommendation."

"…"

"You can become a hero and use your special talent to kill monsters." Miss Goodwitch continued to insist, determined. "This power of yours, you can canalize it. Perhaps even learn to _master_ it. What do you think?"

"…"

"…"

But... What if he wasn't worthy?

He had no training. Was it fair for the other students?

He was weak. No strength, no stamina.

And stupid. Not book-smart, and a bad memory.

There was no way he could become a Huntsman.

He was going to fail...

 _Crack!_

The chair under Jaune suddenly broke down and he fell.

"A-ah, I'm sorry." Jaune apologized.

Curse this semblance. Everytime Jaune got nervous it broke something.

At this moment, Miss Goodwitch smirked, brandishing a crop.

The remnants of the chair rose in the air and reassembled themselves.

"Do not worry. I will repair everything you break until you learn how to control your power."

Jaune gaped at her and the brand new chair. "W-wow… Thank you! Thank you!"

At this moment, Jaune was completely star-struck by this woman!

Until now, Jaune had thought he was alone to be cursed, but now, not only he had learned that she had gone through something similar to him, but she had mastered it so she could repair things instead of breaking them?

Could she repair the books he ripped up? The pens he broke? Could he finally hold an object without fearing that his Semblance would break it? Could he be able to study properly?

That was what Jaune was thinking about.

Miss Goodwitch was like a star illuminating his life with such hopes!

As he was gaping with eyes full of admiration, Miss Goodwitch raised an eyebrow. "Please, sit back."

"Y-yes!" Jaune hurriedly did what he was told and eagerly took place in front of her.

Before, he had been nervous, but now he was completely trusting her, even though he had only talked to her for a few minutes. This was, unfortunately, because Jaune was painfully naive and easily influenceable.

"I know this is a hard decision," Miss Goodwitch began carefully, "But I genuinely think that you could find your path in-"

"I accept!" Jaune exclaimed suddenly as he bowed his head to her.

"…Are you sure? You can take your time to think about it-"

"I am sure! I'll try not to break too many things. I'll work hard!" Jaune promised.

"…Very well." Miss Goodwitch nodded eventually after going through some papers. "I have actually already gone through the paperwork with Miss Crappert. All you need is to sign here."

She gave him a pen and paper.

Jaune took the time to skim through it rapidly. Even though he couldn't understand much of the words, because Jaune wasn't used to read, he still tried his best to understand what was said.

And something caught his eye at the end.

"This…" Jaune pointed at his name on the contract. "Madam, what's this?"

"This is your name." Miss Goodwitch smiled.

" _That_ 's my name?" Jaune asked, confused.

"Yes." Miss Goodwitch declared. "From now on… You will be named Jaune _Arc_."

"…" Jaune's eye frowned.

The name felt familiar, as if long forgotten.

It only cemented Jaune's opinion, and he eagerly signed the paper.

And so, the life of Jaune Arc took a turning point, as he became a student of Beacon Academy.

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think?**

 **This is quite a different personality Jaune has, obviously. His ability to break things defined his whole life. I wonder if people will be able to identify with such an MC.**

 **I should update this reasonably often, as it is a brand new fic.** **See you all next time.**


	2. Accidents and awkward meetings

**Thanks for the support.**

 **Second chapter of Fracture, here we go.**

* * *

 **Morning.**

"Boy! Boy, wake up!"

"Hmm?"

Cuddling in his warm sheets, Jaune groaned in his pillow as he heard the sound of rattling curtains, filling the room with sunlight.

"Get ready, boy." Miss Crappert's voice demanded. "You're leaving in two hours. Prepare yourself."

"Y-yes!" Jaune jumped out of his bed to his feet immediately.

Miss Crappert had to wake him up herself because Jaune would have broken the alarm clock.

"And don't break the shower!" Miss Crappert warned.

Jaune smiled as he went on to prepare himself.

As he dressed up, he didn't have many options, as he only had two sets of clothes. Without much of a choice, he opted for his old, standard blue jeans and a black hoodie.

Shower, breakfast, dressing up, and assembling all his belongings, for some reason today he was able to prepare everything without breaking anything. He was in a good mood!

"Miss Goodwitch should arrive any minute now," Miss Crappert said as Jaune was ready to leave, in front of the entrance.

Apparently, Jaune was receiving a treatment of favor, as he had a professor fetching him alone, along with a personal Bullhead. The other students, Jaune was told, had to take a public ship transport to get to Beacon.

For what reason he was treated so kindly, Jaune didn't know, but he was excited nonetheless.

"Well, go on." Miss Crappert said from the entrance hall. "The bullhead should arrive at the station on the end of the street."

"Ah… Yes."

Jaune adjusted his backpack and turned back to face her.

Jaune had never really liked Miss Crappert, but she had been a constant in his life for a dozen years now. Knowing he wouldn't see her again was quite weird.

"Um…Thanks for everything." Jaune bowed his head.

"Hmph. Try not to break the CCT tower… Jaune."

On these words, she shut the door close, leaving Jaune alone.

Jaune raised his eyes to the sky.

So at the very end, Miss Crappert did call him by his name...

* * *

 **Later.**

Jaune saw the bullhead approach on the horizon as he was leaning on a post.

Seeing the ship fly towards his town, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

He still had many reservations on his decision to become a Beacon student.

But at seventeen years old, it was a critical point in Jaune's life. He had to make an engaged decision, or his life would turn into a nightmare. He had to change things up, he couldn't have gone on with his previous way of life, trying to be a normal civilian even though he was obviously not.

Although, Jaune was hopeful. From what Miss Goodwitch had told him, he could learn a lot at this school.

And like she said, with his curse, it would be relatively easy to kill Grimm.

 _I want to become useful._ Jaune thought with eagerness. _I want to do something good_ _with my power._

And Jaune trusted Miss Goodwitch. After all, she had been like him before, breaking things with her semblance, yet she had become a prominent, respectable person.

If Beacon was going to provide him with an opportunity to change, he wasn't going to pass it up.

So, of course, he was excited!

 _Crack!_

"A-ah… no good. Too excited..." Jaune winced he stepped away from the post he had been leaning on, which was now deformed.

 _Vvvvvvvuuu…_

The bullhead slowly landed in front of Jaune, wind blowing through his hair wildly.

"Miss Goodwitch!" Jaune exclaimed enthusiastically when the door opened.

"Hello, Jaune." The blonde woman greeted with a stern look, stepping outside. She narrowed her eyes. "Did you just break that post?"

"U-um…" Jaune looked away.

Miss Goodwitch sighed and pulled out her crop, restoring the post back to its previous condition.

Amazing, amazing!

Jaune couldn't help but gape at the display of skill once again.

He was basically fanboying at this point!

"Where's your luggage?" Miss Goodwitch questioned, looking him up and down.

"Hm? I have my backpack!" Jaune grinned as he turned around to show her.

"…You mean, that's your only belongings?"

"That's all I have!" Jaune smiled.

"…" Miss Goodwtich stared at him for a moment, before waving at him to enter the bullhead.

"W-woah…" Jaune gaped again as he stepped in the vehicle, looking around at every corner.

He had never been in a Bullhead in his life!

This was because it was dangerous for him to be in a flying ship like that.

Why?

Well...

Because…

* * *

 **Later.**

You guessed it. Motion sickness!

That's right, Jaune was the kind of useless guy who had _stage fright_ , _motion sickness_ , didn't even know how to _swim_ , had a _weak_ body, and could _barely_ read and write!

"Bb-bgwwaaaah…" Jaune groaned as he tried to keep his breakfast from leaving his body.

 _Crack!_

"Jaune!" Miss Goodwitch raised her voice, "Control yourself! And stay strapped in!"

 _Crack!_

The seat Jaune was sat on cracked loudly, his semblance spreading through the system and shaking the ship to its core.

It had been sleeping for the majority of the trip, but now his curse was finally attacking the ship that was responsible for his motion sickness!

As if it had finally figured out that it was the ship that was making Jaune sick.

Except, by trying to break the ship, the Bullhead no longer flew in a straight line and they experienced tremors and jolts. It was another one of those never-ending cycles!

Meanwhile, Miss Goodwitch was masterfully fixing the ship at the same time, doing her best to counter his semblance with hers.

"If you keep this up, we're going to crash!" Miss Goodwitch shouted at him.

"Bwaaah…" Jaune replied eloquently.

"Pilot!" She called. "How long until we arrive?"

"Just a few minutes!" The pilot replied with a panicked voice and grabbed his mic. "I have no controls! Bullhead 127, we've lost out gravity dust engine! We've lost vertical control!"

"Jaune! Just a few minutes!" Miss Goodwitch called, remaining amazingly calm. "Try to control it! Stop yourself!"

 _Control_? It was impossible to control it!

 _Stop yourself_? But Jaune didn't do anything! It was his semblance that was acting on its own, reacting to his motion sickness!

 _Crack!_

"We've lost the remaining energy!" The pilot screamed. "Bullhead 127, we're declaring an emergency!"

 _SINK RATE, PULL UP._ A robotic voice was repeating. _SINK RATE, PULL UP. SINK RATE, PULL UP._

"We-we're gonna crash, Madam!" The pilot screamed as the ship started dangerously losing altitude and diving towards the Beacon docks.

At this moment, Miss Goodwitch raised her crop.

Pink glyphs appeared in the sky, and she raised her hands to the sky.

"Oooooh Lord Monty!" The pilot was screaming. "Gear up! Gear upp! We have a fire on the remaining dust engine!"

 _Tshhhh..._

Some ice appeared out of Miss Goodwitch's crop to extinguish the fire!

"Haaaa..." She groaned as she raised her hands, her eyes closed in concentration, a pink halo of light glowing around her body.

The pink halo expanded to envelop the ship, and then suddenly, an unknown force started to gradually slow the ship down.

Somehow, their speed decreased drastically, the ship piercing many purple glyphs as they approached the docks in what seemed like a rather slow speed, compared to the dive they had just experienced.

Through the cokpit, students could be seen panicking and spreading apart, creating a path for the bullhead.

Miss Goodwitch couldn't stop it completely.

The Bullhead touched the ground, and in a loud, rattling noise, the ship slid and drifted on the Beacon docks for what seemed like an eternity until eventually, it came to a full stop.

...

Just another day for Jaune Arc and his goddamn semblance.

* * *

"G-gaaaah… Solid ground…"

Jaune groaned as he stepped out of the bullhead, his semblance immediately cracking the stone slabs he stepped on.

Okay... Jaune had to admit, this one outclassed all the other accidents he had caused in the past.

"My goodness…!" Miss Goodwitch groaned as she followed after him, jumping out of the ship. "You sure are a lot to handle, aren't you?"

"I-I'm so sorry, Madam..." Jaune could only apologize, as he felt his semblance finally faded away now that they had landed.

He felt so guilty, so terrible. He wanted to disappear into the ground. He was going to get expelled before he even tried to pass Initiation, wasn't he?

"...We'll see about that later," Miss Goodwitch panted, looking at their surroundings.

Slowly, the smoke of the crash cleared, revealing numerous students that were staring at them, forming a circle around the crashed bullhead.

Jaune's eyes widened as he turned bright red.

It wasn't even the first day and he had nearly destroyed a Bullhead already! And everyone saw it!

"Miss Goodwitch!" A bombastic voice called. It was a round man with white hair and a mustache, probably one of Beacon's staff. "Dear lord! Now _that_ 's what I call an entrance!" He laughed ruefully as is they had just performed a particularly impressive pirouette. "Do you need assistance?"

"I do not, Peter." Miss Goodwitch replied with authority, like the badass Huntress she was. She raised her voice at the students. "Move along, everyone! _I_ will take care of this mess." She stated somewhat proudly.

"You heard the professor!" The man named Peter shouted for everyone. "Go on, we have the situation under control!"

Raising her crop, Miss Goodwitch pulled the pilot out of the ship. The poor man was safe and uninjured, thank goodness. Then she raised her other hand, and her body glowed pink again while the entire bullhead started levitating, under her sheer power.

"W-woaaah…" The students gaped, staying to observe the spectacle, of course.

"Is this one of our professors?"

"It's Miss Goodwitch!"

"Yang, look, she's the one who saved me!"

"As expected of a member of Beacon staff."

"Who's the guy next to her?"

"Is he a student like us?"

"U-um…" Uncomfortable being the center of attention, Jaune hesitated to bother Miss Goodwitch.

She turned towards him, "Follow me, Mr. Arc." She articulated, still focusing on levitating the Bullhead.

"Mr... Arc?" Jaune blinked as he followed after her.

Who… Oh, right, Jaune's last name was Arc.

Jaune Arc... It still felt weird to have a last name.

Jaune gulped as he looked behind him, feeling the weight of many stares on his back.

On the ground where Jaune had landed, remained his two footsteps, deeply embedded into the stone slabs, from which spread a thin web of fissures.

Jaune turned back and hurried after Miss Goodwtich.

* * *

 **Later.**

"…Jaune." Miss Goodwitch finally sighed after she put the bullhead down next to a warehouse and left it to a pilot. "You have to get your power under control… as soon as possible. We can't keep going like this."

"Th-this was because of my motion sickness! My semblance goes wild when I'm in danger... I'm very sorry..."

"So it would seem," Miss Goodwitch admitted, adjusting her glasses as she looked at his feet, checking for any cracks on the ground. There wasn't, of course, since Jaune had long since calmed down. Or rather, his semblance had calmed down.

"…I'm sorry I have to do this, but... From now on, please don't take any bullhead without specific permission." Miss Goodwitch asked, throwing him a sympathetic look.

"O-okay…Um..." Jaune hesitated, "S-so, I'm not expelled?"

"You were not at fault, Mr. Arc." Miss Goodwitch replied. "You would be amazed at how many accidents like this happen in a school full of Huntsmen in training, all kids learning how to control their semblances. Something like this is quite common for us Beacon staff."

"R-really?" Jaune sighed in relief. Beacon sure was amazing.

"Although, we definitely have to get your semblance under control." Miss Goodwitch sighed. "This will be our top priority. You will have private lessons with me, Jaune. I will teach you what you need to know."

"O-oh wow, really!" Jaune gasped in amazement.

Private lessons with the person he admired most, super-badass-Huntress who can stop a Bullhead from crashing, Miss Goodwitch! Jaune couldn't wait.

"Considering you didn't go to a combat school, nor did you have any training, you will have to work hard to catch up with your peers." She remarked with a stern look. "Understood?"

"Yes, I'll work hard!" Jaune nodded eagerly. "I promise!"

Miss Goodwitch gave him a smile. "It's good that you are motivated. Now, come with me."

She led him to what seemed to be the dorms and entered a storage room where two bags were laying.

"Here," She grabbed and gave him the two bags. "This is yours."

"Huh? What?" Jaune blinked. "N-no, I can't accept this…"

"You can't possibly have everything you need in that backpack of yours." Miss Goodwitch insisted, unshakable. "This will give you the bare minimum, things like a change of clothes, the standard Beacon uniform, basic toiletries, as well as the tools to study and write down notes."

"…!"

Jaune was blown away! Such luxury items, just for him?

"Th-this is too much…"

"It is necessary, Jaune. Just accept it without making any fuss." Miss Goodwitch said, shoving the two bags in his hands.

"…"

Jaune held the precious bags safely against him.

He didn't have many belongings, so being offered two bags worth of stuff… It basically tripled the number of things he possessed. For Jaune, it was a huge gift!

"Th-thank you..." Jaune bowed his head.

Being so kind to him, even though he broke a Bullhead. Miss Goodwitch was so understanding.

Unlike all his previous foster families, who had generally abandoned him after Jaune broke one too many things.

"Now, you should meet some other students on your own." Miss Goodwitch advised. "Talk to other people, and make some friends."

"Eh? Friends?"

"Be sure to be on time for the headmaster's introduction speech in the main hall." She reminded him.

"O-okay…"

And like that, Miss Goodwitch left him alone.

' _Make some friends_ ', she said… as if it was that simple, for the socially awkward Jaune! Especially after crashing on the docks like that.

"..."

Jaune looked around nervously.

Come to think of it… Where was he? Where was the main hall?

Jaune had no sense of direction, he was already lost on the school grounds.

"E-er… I should have followed Miss Goodwitch." Jaune mumbled regretfully.

He wondered on the school paths for a moment, before eventually spotting someone.

There!

Jaune froze. A girl!

Wearing a black long-sleeved dress and red cape, along with thick black longings and big boots.

He had never talked to a girl his age. How should he start a conversation?

Hm?

Now that he took a better look at her, her face seemed familiar…

This dark hair that gradually turned to red at the tips, and these silver eyes that looked like mirrors, where had Jaune seen them before?

Jaune frowned, trying to remember. Hmmm…

Before he knew it, their eyes had suddenly met.

"Ah!" The girl gasped and pointed a finger at him.

"Ah!" Jaune echoed, caught looking.

"Crashing Boy!"

"Eh, me?" Jaune, like the fool he was, reacted to the nickname.

 _Swish!_

In a burst of red petals, she was by his side!

"O-oooh…!" Jaune gaped at the speed.

Incredible! Was everyone like this in this school? Telekinesis, and super speed?

"It's you right?!" The girl exclaimed hesitantly, narrowing her eyes. "Right, it is you!" She giggled. "You crashed a Bullhead on the docks! Pffft!"

"I-I didn't do it on purpose!" Jaune widened his eyes, panicking. Already it was coming back to bite him.

"Hahaha! Sorry!" She laughed, holding her sides, "Don't worry, just a moment earlier, I sneezed and exploded some princess' dust, too! So I know how you feel!"

"O-oh, explode? Are you okay?" Jaune asked, looking her up and down. She didn't seem hurt.

"Not a single scratch, I protected myself with Aura!" She waved it off, giving a thumbs up. "But you, how did you crash on the docks?! Were you attacked by Nevermores and had an epic battle in the skies?"

"Attacked by what?" Jaune blinked, confused. "N-no, we weren't attacked by anything..."

"Really? Well, that's fine, it was still awesome to see how Miss Goodwitch lifted that bullhead!" The girl gushed.

"Yeah, yeah, I saw it too, I saw it too!" Jaune instantly switched into fanboy mode, jumping at the chance to praise his Miss Goodwitch. "She's so cool, she can repair everything with her semblance, too! And she kept her cool all the time even though the bullhead was going to crash… As if she was used to it! Which she is, she told me!"

"Oh wow, she's like a true Huntress!" The girl squealed and gushed with him. "Wait! She _IS_ a true Huntress! Haha..." She laughed awkwardly, blushing in embarrassment. She was quick to recover, speaking fast: "But wow, can you imagine, in four years, we're going to be Huntsmen just like her! That's crazy!"

"Ye-yeah… It seems impossible, honestly." Jaune said, adjusting his hold on the two bags in his hands, as his arms were already getting tired of carrying them.

"What's with the bags?" The girl asked.

"Ah, Miss Goodwitch gave them to me, since I couldn't afford the minimum school supplies…"

"She did? Here, I'll help you carry one!" She grabbed a bag for him.

"Thanks..." Jaune smiled gratefully. "Um, they're precious, so don't wave it around..."

Though he said that, there was nothing precious in the bags.

"No worries! So there are programs to help the poor, huh!" The girl mused cheerfully, "Beacon is really awesome!"

The ' _poor_ '? Jaune blinked at the word.

He never thought of himself as poor… He always had a roof above his head and food in his plate, it wasn't like he was homeless.

…

Crap! Actually, he _was_ kinda homeless, wasn't he?

"Where is she now?" The girl asked.

"Miss Goodwitch? Ah, she left me on my own, telling me to go talk to other people and make friends…" Jaune answered.

"Uuuugh!" The girl scoffed and groaned exaggeratedly. "I hate this, I hate this! My sister is the same! She ditched me so I can make some friends of my own as well, to ' _grow out my shell_ ', she said! But I don't need any friends!"

"You don't?" Jaune gaped. This girl sure was strong! If it was Jaune, he would love to have friends.

"Hah! Of course, I don't! I drink milk instead!" She crossed her eyes proudly. "Much more effective to grow up!"

"I like milk too," Jaune said. "But still, I think having friends is important..."

"Right... I guess so." The girl admitted. "I-in fact, um," She hesitated, shifting awkwardly. "L-let's... let's be friends! The two of us! So that we don't have to find other friends! And so people stop annoying us for having no friends!"

"R-really, is that how it works?!" Jaune's eyes widened, completely shocked by the turn of events. He found his first friend – and it was a girl – that easily? "Just like that? But, we don't even know each other's name…"

"N-names! R-right!" She stuttered, blushing. "Of course, I knew that. Haha… I was just… Waiting for you to give yours! Ye-yeah, that's it!"

"Ah! Sorry!" Jaune naively apologized, "Then... My name is Jaune… Arc!"

"And I'm Ruby Rose!" She turned around, spinning her body as if to make some grand entrance, making her squirt flutter cutely. "See! Easy peasy, now let's shake hands," She grabbed his hand and shook it, "And now we're officially friends! Hah, now we don't even need to find other friends! Muahaha, that will show my big sis for sure!"

"You're right! I don't think I could find someone else like you anyway…"

"I know the feeling, uh…" She paused for a second, staring at him. "Crashing Boy… friend!"

"…It's Jaune… Did you already forget my name?"

"Ja-jaune! Right!" She laughed and slapped his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. "I knew that, I was just teasing you! Hahahaha!"

"…Hahaha…" Jaune forced a laugh, too.

"…"

"…"

Oh no!

They ran out of words!

Crap!

This was the dreaded awkward silence that Jaune was constantly facing!

"Um-"

"Er-"

The two spoke up at the same time.

Very awkward. Jaune was cringing to death!

"…"

"…"

"G-go ahead." Jaune waved at her.

"N-nah, _you_ go ahead!"

"O-okay…"

Terrible, awkward interactions! Such was the story of Jaune's social life.

Unknown to him, of course, Ruby was actually just as bad with people as he was!

"Wh-why… Er, why are you so young?" Jaune asked. "I mean, sorry if I'm wrong, but, um, you _are_ younger, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fifteen! It's because I'm a hero!" She puffed up her chest, "I stopped a villain from robbing a dust shop the other day!"

Jaune widened his eyes, amazed. "Oh wow, really!"

"Yep, so Ozpin said," She modified her voice to try to sound like some grown man. "' _Hohoohoo, we need such an awesome girl like you in our ranks! Glynda, let's invite her to our school!_ ' And that's how I got in!"

"That's great!" Jaune gaped.

"Yep! Me and Crescent Rose, we kicked Torchwick's ass!"

Saying that, she deployed a giant metallic red scythe.

"Woah!"

Jaune immediately took a step back, intimidated. "Wh-what's that?!"

"It's my baby! My weapon of choice, a collapsible scythe, as well as a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle."

"…Th-that's cool." Jaune carefully gave a smile, having no idea what she just said.

"What about you?" She nudged his arm. "What do you got?"

"Me? Er…"

…

Hm?

Eh? Wait a minute.

Jaune didn't… have any weapon?

Eh? Wasn't it... pretty bad?

"…N-nothing," Jaune mumbled, the horrible realization making his shoulders slump. "I... have... nothing."

"Uuuuuaaaargh!"

Ruby screamed in pained and reared back as if Jaune had just shot an arrow through her heart.

"H-how… how is that possible!" She exclaimed, eyes tearing up. She seemed really shaken to her core. "No weapon? Really? Impossible! How do you even fight!"

Fight?

Um, come to think of it, Jaune never fought once in his life…

"I just, um… I just touch the Grimm… And they die?" Jaune tried.

"Wh-whaaaat!" Ruby gasped, "Th-that's so badass!"

Crap, Jaune worded it badly!

"It's really not that impressive."

"Hell yeah, it is! With your bare hands, are you kidding me." She grinned. Then she suddenly came real close to him, and whispered, as if confessing a secret: "But seriously... you should still get a weapon... All Huntsmen need a weapon... it is the dream of their life... You must get a weapon, absolutely..."

C-creepy! So creepy! Jaune backed away from her.

"W-well, um..." He scratched his head, uncomfortable with the subject. "I have a bad tendency of breaking things, so I can't invest too much into objects like that…"

"It's fine!" Ruby insisted cheerfully, "Then it just needs to be very sturdy!"

"I'm not sure how sturdy it needs to be. This breaking habit is pretty bad, you know…"

"Then you'll just have to change your habits! You must not give up on discovering the _romance_ of having your own weapon and maintaining it and everything!"

"R-romance?" Jaune blushed at the mere word. "Er… Aren't you exaggerating things?"

"A-ah, sorry!" Ruby blushed too, "Did I sound too much like a nerd? I just get excited about this stuff…!"

"No, I think it's great to have something to be so passionate about…!" Jaune smiled at her.

Come to think of it, Jaune didn't have anything like that.

It made him envious. Were weapons really that awesome? Ruby made him want to have his own, now.

 _I want a weapon, too…_ Jaune dreamed, _A cool weapon._

But he couldn't have one. Not with his semblance breaking it at every occasion.

"By the way, where are we going?" Ruby asked.

"Hm? I was following you…"

"…"

"…"

* * *

 **Later.**

Jaune and Ruby hurried into the hall to listen to the headmaster's speech, just in time.

"Ruby!" A blonde girl called her over.

"I'll see you later, Jaune!" Ruby said.

Jaune waved at her as she left him.

"…"

Jaune couldn't help but grin like a fool. He had just talked to a girl for the first time! And for quite a long time, too!

"I hope I see her again," Jaune mumbled dreamily.

Not that he had any romantic interest or anything, but Ruby was basically his first friend.

For Jaune, it was a big deal!

"Out of my way, weakling." Someone suddenly bumped in his shoulder and walked past him.

It was a big strong guy in armor, with a sharp look in his blue eyes and burnt-orange hair combed backward.

"Wh-what?" Jaune asked, confused.

"I know a weakling when I see one. You pulled some strings to get here... You damn fake, you should go back to being a civilian."

And with that, he turned away and left.

"...Eh." Jaune shrugged.

He was used to it! Being bullied for many years, he had learned to ignore such people, and it had now become a reflex.

"Ahem."

A voice suddenly rang loudly from the Hall.

"I'll… keep this brief." The headmaster declared, gathering attention.

Ozpin was a middle-aged man with silver hair and brown eyes. He wore glasses on his nose and had a cane in his hand, though he didn't look like he needed it. He seemed a lot younger than what Jaune had imagined.

"You have traveled here in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step."

Jaune had spaced out during the whole speech. He wasn't the only one, it seemed, as people exchanged confused looks.

The headmaster stepped back, letting Miss Goodwitch follow up.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

* * *

 **Later.**

"Pyjamas… She even gave me pyjamas." Jaune marveled as he opened the bags that Miss Goodwitch had given him.

They were just a set of white long-sleeved shirt and pants, but Jaune still appreciated them.

"Did she get my size from Miss Crappert?" Jaune wondered as the clothes were perfectly fitting him.

He was very happy with these nice-smelling clothes.

"Now what?" Jaune wondered, looking around.

His eyes landed on Ruby.

Seeing him looking, she grinned and waved at him.

Jaune smiled and waved back, and as he was about to walk over to her, he noticed the blonde girl beside her.

Another girl! She was beautiful… Too beautiful for Jaune! If he went over there, he would make a fool out of himself, he just knew it.

 _Let's not go over there…_

Jaune cautiously backed away like a coward. That was how bad he was at social interactions!

With Ruby, she had been the one to walk up to him and had led the conversation, but in reality, Jaune was way too shy to casually talk with girls.

Well, guys too, for that matter... But girls were even worse, because of the whole puberty thing.

The nice, quirky Ruby was the exception.

So instead, Jaune settled down and explored what Miss Goodwitch had given him, opening the bag of school supplies.

"Hm? Books?"

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. He had books? Rapidly, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out five books.

' _Understanding the Basics of Aura'_

' _Fifty most common Grimm found in Eastern Sanus'_

' _History of the Huntsman profession'_

' _How to tame a spontaneous semblance'_

' _Basics of Tactics and Strategies for Four-men teams'_

"Th-this… ooooh!" Jaune gaped as he read one title after the other.

Amazing!

Discovering one good surprise after another, Jaune once again told himself that coming to this school had been the best decision of his life.

Eagerly, Jaune picked the first one, carefully laying it in front of him to keep his semblance from ripping it up, and put the four others back in his bag.

If he remembered correctly, Ruby had mentioned Aura. He had a vague idea of what it was, but it was best to learn from a verified source.

Jaune delicately opened the book to the first page, making sure to not touch the book unless he had to. It was the precaution he had to take to ensure his semblance didn't rip up the book on a random whim.

And so, Jaune started reading slowly.

' _Aura is the manifestation of one's soul, and can be used for a wide range of abilities. The specific abilities and their strengths differ from individual to individual and are dependent on a number of factors, such as experience, training, and innate skill…_

 _Every living being has a soul, and therefore possesses Aura: Human, Faunus, animals and even plants._

… _\- activation of Aura requires training and willpower, though someone with considerable training can unlock the Aura of another person-_

… _\- Grimm have no Aura, they are soulless monsters - …_

… _\- skilled users of Aura can create their own barriers or even-..._

… _\- can be recharged, and the time required to completely recover is different for each person-…_

… _\- can protect from harsh climates-..._

… _\- manifests in different ways, such as Semblances-…_

… _\- personal power, an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from one user to another-…_

… _\- with Dust, certain individuals can modify some effects of their Semblances with elements such as fire or lightning - …_

… _\- Overuse of one's semblance for prolonged periods may adversely affect its user-…_

Jaune paused. That really was too many information, but…

Something was wrong… If Aura was indeed necessary to wield a semblance, then it meant that Jaune had his Aura unlocked somehow, really early in his life.

But he didn't remember when it had been activated… As far as Jaune was concerned, he had his semblance unlocked for as long as he could remember.

Did that mean someone activated it for him? Hmmm…

Plus, Jaune had never suffered exhaustion from using his semblance, even after breaking many, many things.

Jaune frowned as he skimmed through the pages of the book again.

… _\- the more one practices his semblance, the stronger it will become -…_

…Technically, Jaune had used his semblance every single day… Was it why it could be so strong sometimes?

Jaune shrugged to himself and put the book back in the back. Because he was a slow reader, he didn't have time to learn much, as he was getting tired and everyone was getting to sleep.

 _Maybe I should have read on Grimm instead…_ Jaune thought as he wondered what kind of test the teachers were going to give for Initiation.

On that thought, Jaune fell asleep.

* * *

" _You have failed, Mr. Arc."_

" _As expected, all you can do is break things. Did you not have enough with the Bullhead? I will not keep repairing your mistakes!"_

 _"Just like I thought, you weakling. You never deserved to take a step into this school."_

 _"How disappointing! You delinquent, I thought I was finally rid of you!"_

" _P-please give me another chance!"_

" _You have failed."_

 _"N-no..."_

" _Jaune! How could you break apart my baby Crescent Rose like that? You're a cruel jerk, I hate you!"_

" _I-I'm sorry! I-"_

* * *

"Aaagh!" Jaune gasped, snapping his eyes open.

He panted for a moment, sitting up on his couch. Around him, the students were busying themselves and waking up.

 _Just a dream_ … Jaune sighed to himself.

A normal night for Jaune Arc.

* * *

 **Later.**

"…What am I doing here?"

Jaune wondered as he walked through the corridors full of lockers.

He had no weapons or armor to store, but Jaune supposed he could put his bags in there.

"Six-three-six… Where is it?"

As Jaune walked through the corridor trying to find his locker, he grew more and more nervous.

This was because everyone was pulling out awesome weapons out of their lockers! This was bad, Jaune had nothing to defend himself, he looked like an amateur in his jeans and hoodie.

Well, he had his curs- his semblance to protect himself, but that was it.

"Six-three-six… Six-three-six... It's here."

There were two girls talking in front of his locker.

One of them was paled skinned, with pale blue eyes and long white hair pulled back in, weirdly, an off-center bun tail, and pinned with icicle shaped thingy. A crooked scar was running vertically down her left eye and cheek. She wore a dress similar to Ruby's, except it was white.

The other was also rather pale-skinned, but had green eyes and red hair pulled in a ponytail. Compared to the other girl, she was quite tall and muscular, and wore an elaborate bronze armor set.

...Both were stunningly beautiful!

"…"

Jaune stood there for a while.

This was bad! For the coward-Jaune who had backed away from the other blonde girl last evening, this was even worse.

Just by looking at them, he could tell these girls weren't like the nice quirky Ruby. These two girls were most likely going to ignore him! How should he ask them to move away?

Jaune gulped, gathered his courage, and…

"U-um…"

"-sure everyone would like to unite with such a strong, well-known individual, such as yourself." One of them, the white-haired one, was saying.

"Um…"

"Hmmm... I'm not quite sure…" The other mused. "I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Er…"

"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together."

"Excuse me..."

"Well, that sounds grand!" The red-headed gave a smile and turned towards him, "What is it, do you need something?" She asked kindly.

"S-sorry, it's just, could you move a bit? You're standing in front of my locker."

"Oh. Of course!"

Jaune gulped as he stepped between them to get to his locker and grabbed the handle-

 _Crack!_

The door's joints broke and Jaune reaped the door out of his locker, which damaged the nearby lockers too.

"A-aah! I'm sorry!"

"What are you doing!" The white-haired girl screamed in his ears. "Can't you watch your hands! You brute, those were last generation rocket lockers!"

"R-rocket... lockers?" Jaune repeated dumbly.

"How can I store my precious dust safely now! My locker is all messed up! I need a safe place to store it otherwise some Faunus thief is going to steal it!"

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't-"

 _Crack!_

The handle of the door broke apart, causing it to fall on the ground, making a loud metallic noise that gathered people's attention.

"You gauche!" The white-haired girl shouted at him. "Do you just break everything you touch?"

 _Yes!_

"Actually, you're that boy who crashed a Bullhead, aren't you?" She pointed an accusatory finger.

"I-it wasn't intentional!" Jaune raised his hands as if she had a gun in her hand. "I-it was an accident, I swear!"

"An accident? You're just like that other girl I met yesterday." Weiss approached, waving her finger in front of his face menacingly. "People could have _died_! This isn't a place for walking hazards like yourself!"

"Weiss, Weiss. Shouting at him won't help things," The redhead intervened. "Let me help..."

She stepped forward and raised her hand, which started glowing with a dark halo.

The door glowed dark too and rose up in the air.

"W-wow! You too?" Jaune gasped, thinking of Miss Goodwitch's telekinesis.

The girl named Pyrrha merely smiled as she pushed the door in its joints.

"Hold it in place, Pyrrha," The other, named Weiss, said as she raised her weird looking sword. "Here!"

Her sword started glowing red, and a tiny flame came out of the point of her sword.

Between Pyrrha's telekinesis and Weiss' fire melting the metal, the door was soon welded back into place.

The two girls did the same for the two other doors and the broken handle.

"Wow… That was amazing." Jaune gaped. Were those their semblances? How impressive, to have that much control…

"It was nothing," Pyrrha waved it off.

"Hmph… But of course, it was nothing" Weiss boasted. "Pyrrha and I are the best students of our year. We are already proving an efficient team."

"Team?" Jaune repeated. What teams?

"Yes." Weiss nodded gracefully. "With all due respect, I do not think a commoner like you would fit in a team of elites like ours."

There were teams?

"I guess that's true…" Jaune admitted.

"No, it's not." Pyrrha tried to cheer him up, "I'm sure you would make a great teammate."

"...Please don't lie." Jaune turned away in embarrassment. He wished that was true, but he had no training and no friends. He would make the worst teammate.

"W-well... Still, it was nice meeting you. Good luck for initiation." Pyrrha said and walked away.

"Yes, you will need it!" Weiss added, throwing him a look of pity before following after Pyrrha.

Jaune sighed. He was probably not going to make it through Initiation, wasn't he?

"Jaaaauuuuune!"

Ruby suddenly appeared out of nowhere in a burst of petals.

"I watched the whole thing! Holy crap, that was amazing! Did you see how she could levitate the door?!"

"Y-yeah, that was so cool…" Jaune sighed, envious, as he put his bags inside his locker. "And the other had an awesome sword that could use fire dust to stick it back together..."

"Sword? Sword?! Blasphemy! Don't call it a sword, Jaune. Call it a _rapier_!" Ruby lectured with an angry face.

"A what?"

"A rapier! _A rapier!_ And ooooh man, I gotta ask her about those cartridges!" Her smile dropped for a moment, looking down, "But we got off on the wrong foot with her since I exploded on her yesterday... I'll have to make up with her. Did you ask for their names?"

"Er, no, but it's Weiss and Pyrrha," Jaune answered, remembering their conversation.

"No! No! Not the girls, silly!" Ruby shook her head wildly and giggled, rolling her eyes. "The weapons!"

"Huh?"

"The names of their weapons! I want them!"

"Er…" Jaune hesitated, still confused. "They... They have names?!"

"Of course!" Ruby grinned widely, and started to squeal, "Oh my gosh, I want to examine their weapons so baaad!"

"Easy there, little sis." The blonde girl from yesterday suddenly appeared. "They're just weapons."

"Just weapons? Just weapons?!" Ruby screamed. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Ooooh, they're so cool…"

"You're gonna scare your friend away, Rubes."

"I'm not scared!" Jaune instantly protested. "I, uh, I want to learn more about weapons, too."

It was true. Maybe it was because Ruby was his first friend, or because he was naive and easily influenceable, but Jaune did want to have his own weapon too and learn more about them.

"Then we're gonna be best friends for sure!" Ruby cheered, raising her hands.

Ah!

Jaune's eyes widened.

It was the so-called high-five!

Back when he was being bullied, Jaune had watched his classmates do it several times, and at the time, he had always been wishing he could have someone to do it with. Because it seemed so cool!

So, of course, Jaune, grinning like a child, happily high-fived Ruby.

"Oooooh," Ruby grabbed him by the shoulder, "You and I are gonna be BFFs, I just know it!"

"BFF?" Jaune tilted his head to the side.

"It means Bad Friends Forever." Ruby's sister said.

Jaune's smile fell.

"Yaaang! That's not what it means!" Ruby protested angrily. "And you better be careful, cause Jaune beats up Grimm with his bare hands!"

"Really?" Yang raised an unimpressed eyebrow, clearly skeptical as she eyed him up and down, which made him shift awkwardly, embarrassed. "You? Against Grimm? With your bare hands?"

"Th-that's... true..." Jaune admitted, breaking in a cold sweat.

This was bad. Even though he wasn't lying, they still misunderstood. They probably thought he was a badass Huntsman that received years of training in martial arts or something like that, but that wasn't the case at all!

Yet, Jaune didn't say anything, because he was too scared of losing Ruby's precious friendship. What if she only liked him because she thought he was badass?

"Well, I'm Yang Xiao-Long." The beautiful blonde finally presented herself. "Ruby's older sister!"

"I'm Jaune." Jaune simply replied. "I, uh, met Ruby yesterday..." He added as if he was justifying himself.

Why did he feel the need to say that all of a sudden?

Was it because Yang's inquisitive eyes were scanning him like X-rays?

At this moment, Miss Goodwitch's voice suddenly called through the microphone.

" _Would all first-year students please report to beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately._ "

Jaune's stomach dropped.

"That's our cue." Ruby said eagerly, "Let's go!"

* * *

 **Later.**

"For years you have trained to become warriors." Ozpin declared. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." Miss Goodwitch followed up, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion.

"Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

"What?" Ruby gasped.

So it was true, there were going to be put in teams?

And suddenly, Jaune realized. _That_ was why Miss Goodwitch gave him a book about tactics of four-man teams! He should have realized sooner.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin followed. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

Jaune glanced at Ruby, who was whining fearfully.

 _It would be nice if I was paired with her…_

 _Then again, maybe it's best if I don't weight her down._

Ruby was probably feeling the same way, as she was looking towards her sister.

"That being said," Miss Goodwitch continued, "The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

…So much for that. Looks like Jaune didn't get to pick his partner anyway.

…Wait. Landing? What landing?

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"After you've partnered up," Ozpin continued, masterfully ignoring the complaints of the students. "Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple of the path containing several relics.

"Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff.

"We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin finished.

Jaune raised his hand. "Yes, um…"

"Good!" Ozpin ignored him. "Now, take your positions."

Jaune put down his hand, his eyes widening as Weiss got suddenly catapulted by a weird platform.

Jaune threw a panicked look at Miss Goodwitch.

This wasn't serious, right? There was no way they were getting catapulted!

But no, when he looked to his left, the students were launched into the forest one by one.

Jaune gulped as Ruby looked back at him, smirking, before finally getting catapulted too.

He was next! Jaune shut his eyes close.

He was going to die!

…

…

…

 _Crack._

Jaune opened an eye.

"Hm?"

He was still on the cliffs.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Arc… Please step on another platform. It appears yours is broken."

"U-um…? But, I really don't want to get catapulted…"

"Then you won't pass the initiation, and won't be able to become a Huntsman." Ozpin pointed out. "Do you want to waste this opportunity?"

"N-no…! But, I don't want to die…!"

"Your Aura will protect you, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said. "Have faith in your own abilities."

"Ozpin..." Miss Goodwitch hesitated, as Jaune was throwing her a panicked look. "Are you sure..."

"He has to go through Initiation like all the others." Ozpin nodded, unflappable. "Mr. Arc, please step on Miss Rose's platform."

"Th-that one?"

"Yes, please."

Jaune closed his eyes shut again, took a deep breath, and stepped on it.

 _Crack._

…

…

…

"…Jaune…" Miss Goodwitch sighed, raising her hand to her eyes. "Please stop breaking the platforms..."

"I-I'm sorry…" Jaune bowed his head apologetically.

Ozpin smiled. "No choice then, if it's like this… Glynda, please activate it manually."

"Eh?"

Miss Goodwitch raised her crop and pointed it at the platform.

"I'm sorry, Jaune."

Huh?

Suddenly, the platform was forcibly activated by telekinesis, and Jaune was launched into the air.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh…!"

* * *

Glynda bit her lip as she watched the young boy scream in terror as he flew through the air.

"Are you worried, Glynda?" Ozpin asked nonchalantly.

"Yes!" She snapped. "How is he going to land? He has no training! None!"

Ozpin merely smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

"I am sure Mr. Arc will be fine. He shows tremendous potential."

"I hope you're right…" Glynda muttered, observing the feed on their scroll.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Jaune's scream was picked up by the cameras.

 _Boom!_

Displayed on the screen, Jaune Arc violently impacted the ground, creating a small crater and raising a large cloud of dust.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Ozpin? He's not moving…"

"…"

Ozpin took another sip of coffee, keeping his countenance.

* * *

 **A/N: And so, Jaune experienced two crashes in less than twenty-four hours.**

 **Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. I hope you don't mind my writing style, it's a bit all over the place.**

 **I feel like I described Jaune's thoughts a bit too much in this one, but it's necessary to describe what kind of person he is, as he is quite different from canon-Jaune. A lot more shy and insecure.**

 **I'll write some other POVs next chapter.**

 **Until next time. I need to sleep.**


	3. Teams, Burden, and Humiliation

**Let's continue the story.**

* * *

"Ozpin!"

"…Calm down, Glynda."

"But he crashed into several trees! He could be grievously injured!"

"He is not," Ozpin replied calmly. "Look closer, Glynda."

Ozpin showed her the display on the scroll.

The smoke cleared to reveal a small crater, in which laid Jaune, a white halo glowing around his body.

Glynda frowned. "But... Such a crash… Even with Aura…"

"Indeed." Ozpin smiled mysteriously.

The white glow around Jaune's body faded, having protected his body and even healed some scrape wounds.

"It would seem Mr. Arc has quite the large reserve of Aura," Ozpin commented.

"…You knew about this." Glynda stated.

"It was very easy to deduce," Ozpin said calmly, "considering the large number of accidents he was involved in in the past."

Of course... For people who unlocked Aura at such a young age, it becomes natural for them to use it in life or death situations. Especially if they encounter such situations frequently.

"…"

" _Grrr_!"

A pair of Beowolves appeared on the scroll's screen, surrendering the boy's unconscious body, no doubt attracted by his previous scream and terror.

"...There are Grimm." Glynda pointed out.

"I see that, Glynda," Ozpin said. "And like all the other students, he will have to destroy them if he wants to pass Initiation."

As Jaune was still unconscious, the two Grimm decided to attack.

Roaring wildly, the two Grimm raised their claw and stroke at the same time!

 _Crack!_

The two Grimm's arms violently twisted backward, causing them to roar in pain.

Blown away against a nearby tree, one of them had his whole body break down like twigs by an unknown force until it died. The other whimpered in pain on the ground, its arm in such a poor state that it started to disappear in black smoke.

"…My goodness…" Glynda whispered, stunned. "But... He is not even conscious."

Ozpin smiled mysteriously and took another sip of his coffee.

* * *

 **With Ruby.**

 _Gotta find Yang. Gotta find Yang gotta find Yang gotta fiiiiind…_

"Yaaaang! Yaaaang! Where are youuuu!"

Ugh, this was bad, really bad! What if she couldn't find her?

What if someone found her first?

 _There's always Jaune! He's nice and awkward just like me!_

He didn't seem to be very skilled though…

His gait, his stance, his movements, his everything, screamed _untrained civilian_ to Ruby.

What about the cool, mysterious Blake that Ruby met last night?

Er… no, Ruby wouldn't be able to hold a conversation.

Suddenly, she heard a mighty roar to her right.

Was someone in danger? It was the typical roar of a Beowolf just before they attack!

Focusing on her aura, Ruby used her semblance to make a super-speed dash in the direction of the noise!

 _Crack!_

"…?"

Hearing a weird cracking noise, Ruby arrived too late.

The body of a Grimm was disappearing in black smoke, while another was crawling in pain on the ground, one of his arms missing.

Ruby swiftly deployed her scythe and decapitated the remaining monster.

"Easy…" She whispered to herself before her eyes fell on an unconscious Jaune in a small crater.

Immediately, she switched into savior-mode!

"Jaune!" She dashed towards him and shook aking his shoulder. "Jaune! Are you okay?"

Screw the initiation! Screw the relics!

The worried Ruby was going to bring her friend back to Beacon, to safety!

"Jauuune!" Ruby whined and gave a little slap on his cheek. "Please wake up!"

"Grmbl… Eeeh?" Jaune groaned, blinking his eyes open.

Yes, yes! Thank god, he wasn't in a coma!

Had he blown away these two Grimm before going unconscious for a short time?

"Jaune, you doofus!" Ruby gave him a series of tiny punches on his chest. "Why couldn't you land properly!"

"A-aouch…" Jaune winced as he sat up.

"Ah, sorry! D-don't move too much…" Ruby advised, worried. "You had a really bad crash!"

"Y-yeah…" Jaune said, a white glow running around his body. "N-not as bad as yesterday..."

 _He has a lot of Aura,_ Ruby noted, seeing the scratches on his face heal rapidly. _This is good. With this much Aura left, he can_ _probably_ _continue the Initiation._

Still, though…

"Your Aura must have taken a hit. You need to rest for a bit!" Ruby recommended.

"…"

Jaune moved his limbs for a bit as if he was stretching.

"I, um, I think I'm okay… somehow."

"Really? You were unconscious just a minute ago…"

"Hmm... I think... I think my semblance broke the ground to soften my landing." Jaune mused to himself, kneeling to examine the ground. He picked up the dirt, only for it to disperse between his fingers.

Almost like _sand_.

"Woah." Ruby's eyes widened.

"W-wow…" Jaune muttered, echoing her.

"It's like sand…" Ruby wondered, poking the ground with her boot. It left a deep footprint, just like sand would. "You can turn things into sand, Jaune?"

"U-um!" Jaune widened his eyes in panic. "Er… Well, um…"

"Eeeeh?" Ruby leaned forward, curious. "What is it, what is it!"

"Well, um… My semblance… Is…" He hesitated, before mumbling almost inaudibly, "To break things…" He looked down, and added rapidly, "I-is it okay if I tell you the details later, Ruby?"

Breaking things? Didn't that sound... awesome? Why was he hesitating?

"Aww, now I'm curious!" Ruby pouted as Jaune poked his fingers together uncomfortably.

Why was he so shy about it? It wasn't like the little small Ruby was going to eat him!

Oh well! All we come in due time.

"More importantly! Jaune!" Ruby grabbed his hand. "This makes us partners!"

"Eh?" He widened his eyes and broke into a grin. "Ah, you're right!"

This was good!

Because, it was better to be partnered with someone you were getting along with but was not very skilled, than the reverse.

They could work on his skills! Whereas, they couldn't have really worked on getting along if they hadn't… gotten along.

Ruby smirked, "We're gonna be best friends from now on, so you better keep up with me!"

"R-right!" Jaune nodded vigorously. "I'll try my best to be a good partner..."

"M-me too!" Ruby stuttered, surprised at his honesty. Yeah, thinking more about it, she was glad that her new partner was this awkward guy. "Man... I guess we were really lucky to find each other so soon, huh!"

"N-no, it wasn't luck… Um..." He scratched his head, embarrassed, "I-I was launched by the same platform as yours… So I landed in the same area, I guess!"

"Oooh? Why did you take the same platform as me?" Ruby leaned forward with a wide grin. She grabbed him by the shoulder in a friendly way. "You wanted to be my partner so bad, huh!" She nodded wisely, "I understand, I understand! I _would_ make an awesome partner, after all!"

"N-no!" Jaune blushed, "I mean… It was an accident, I broke my platform, so they told me to stand on yours!"

"O_ooh, I see, *sniff*," Ruby faked a sniff and turned away, arms crossed. "S-so you don't care about me..."

"N-no! That's not true, I'm, um…" He clenched his eyes shut, as if gathering his courage, "I'm happy to be paired with you!"

Ruby giggled silently, blushing a little. She never met someone so eager to be her friend!

And this guy was so easy to tease! He was even more awkward as her. Usually Ruby was the one to get teased.

But now, Ruby was finally understanding how Yang felt when she teased Ruby! And she had to admit, it could become addictive.

And it was good for her ego, too...

"I'm just messing with you, Jaune!" She laughed, slapping his shoulder good-naturally.

"Oh…" Jaune blinked sheepishly.

"Now, let's not waste time, march on, partner!" She cheered, "Onward to victory!"

"Okay!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Um… Where are we going again?"

"Er… I don't remember." Jaune admitted bashfully. "I think it's... North…?"

"R-right!" Ruby stuttered awkwardly. "Let's go there!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Er… Where's North again?"

Jaune scratched his head. "…No idea."

* * *

 **With Weiss.**

Weiss huffed as some brambles scraped her skirt.

"Ugh! Stupid plants…"

She was not used to forest environments. Therefore, she progressed much more slowly than usual.

"…!"

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her.

Swiftly, she drew Myrtenaster, and raised her guard, looking around suspiciously.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

She was calling out because she felt that presence was human.

Yet that person wasn't showing himself.

Had Weiss been imagining things?

"…"

Cautiously, she continued to advance.

She was being watched… Weiss was certain of it.

These two eyes on her back. It was a familiar feeling, that she had felt quite a lot in the past. A dreaded feeling.

 _What am I thinking…._ Weiss shook her head, trying to focus. _'They' can't be here. I'm being paranoid._

"…"

But the feeling didn't disappear.

" _Grrr…_ "

"…!"

This time it was Grimm for sure!

Weiss readied herself, as red eyes appeared glowing from within the bushes all around her.

* * *

 **With Pyrrha.**

Pyrrha was preoccupied.

She had been looking out for that blonde boy who had caught her eye, but apparently, he had not been launched off the Beacon cliffs with the rest of them immediately.

Why, Pyrrha had no idea, but as a consequence, she had not been able to pin him down against a tree.

…That sounded wrong… _Ahem_. She had just, really wanted to be partnered with him.

Well... There went her plans to find a partner that didn't know her.

She sighed as she finished off the Ursa she had been fighting.

She was wondering, what were the chances that she found him if she didn't know where he was?"

She didn't even know if he had been launched off the cliffs…

"...Haaa." She sighed again.

Now, now, don't misunderstand.

From her thoughts, one could think she already harbored romantic feelings for that blonde boy, but that was _not_ the case.

She was just looking for a partner that, when looked at Pyrrha… saw Pyrrha. And not the Invincible Girl.

She was not chasing after _love_. She was running away from _fame_.

 _That_ was the main difference.

"Ruby? Is that you?" A voice suddenly called.

A blonde girl came out of the bushes, and their eyes met.

"Oops, wrong redhead!" She grinned.

"Wrong blonde," Pyrrha echoed.

They shared a look.

The blonde girl snorted, her grin widening.

Pyrrha started to chuckle herself.

For some reason, the atmosphere had turned funny…

After a short moment, they both started laughing. For no particular reason...

As she laughed, Pyrrha's heart filled itself with renewed hope.

Maybe this one would see her as a friend and not a celebrity?

* * *

 **With Ren.**

"Drrrraaa! Drrrrraa!"

"…I still think that's not what a sloth sounds like."

"Boop!"

...What a surprise, Ren and Nora got paired together.

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

"R-ruby… I'm really not confident in my balance!"

"Don't worry, Crashing Boy!" Ruby giggled, "I believe in you!"

"…Please don't call me that…"

"But it's so fitting for you! Between today and yesterday, you crashed twice!"

"All accidents...!"

Jaune was nearly panicking as he was maintaining his poise, standing on the branch of a tree, with Ruby sat on his shoulders trying to get a good view of their surroundings.

"G-gah!" Jaune grabbed a branch and tightened his hold on Ruby's thigh, nearly losing balance again.

"H-hey!" Ruby protested, "I know we have to do this to get a better view, but you better watch where you put your hands, okay!"

"I-I'm not doing anything," Jaune replied, blushing bright red as he lowered his hand to her knee.

"Hah, I'm just messing with you!" Ruby laughed and gave him a friendly pat on the head. "Hold the tree! I'm gonna stand on your shoulders!"

"O-okay..."

This girl had sure gained a lot of confidence since she woke him up from his crater...

Jaune grabbed the tree with one hand and Ruby's foot with the other, while she adjusted her stance on his shoulders and stood up, her head finally popping out of the leaves.

"I see a Nevermore!" Ruby called. "We should grab a ride!"

"Wh-what?!" Jaune gasped.

"Pffft! Just kidding!" She giggled, falling back on his shoulders. "I've caught a glimpse of some ruins in the distance, let's go there!"

Jaune let out a breath of relief. This girl… She was joking around too much!

Wasn't this a serious test? What if they failed? How was she not scared?

"Come on, my loyal mount!" She claimed cheerfully, "Let us go!"

"Y-you're too heavy…" Jaune complained.

His weak body was already aching from carrying her on his shoulders. He had no strength!

"Heavy? Me? You gotta work up those muscles, Jaune!"

"B-but, um…" Jaune tried to answer but didn't find anything to say. "...I-I guess you're right..."

"I'm joking again, silly!" She giggled again and dropped off his shoulders to land back on the ground. "You're too easy to tease, Jaune~!" She chuckled, poking a finger in his chest, which made Jaune took a step back, embarrassed.

Losing to a girl that was two years younger than him! That was how socially inept Jaune was.

Jaune turned away to hide his face, troubled. "I think we should just focus on the Initiation…"

"All, right, all right," She rolled her eyes, clearly not as worried as he was. "Then let's go, Jaune," She gently nudged his arm, "Let's find these relics!"

"R-right!"

They set off towards the North, which let Jaune time to meditate on how lucky he had been.

Not only he had been partnered with his best friend Ruby,

But he had also survived that painful crash!

Jaune had been very surprised at his landing.

Not only had he broken the trees he had crashed into, but, turning dirt into a _sand-like texture_? That was completely new! He had never been able to do such a thing before.

In life and death situations, his semblance could prove very powerful. Most likely, he was never going to be able to do it again on purpose.

And his _Aura_ had protected him as well. Like always, Jaune was able to rely on it. When his bullies tried to hit him in the past, his Aura protected his body, and then his semblance attacked the source of damage.

Yes, this landing really couldn't have gone any better, Jaune decided as he and Ruby continued their way towards the North.

Along the way, they met some Grimm, of course.

"Grrrr…"

Two Beowolves approached them cautiously.

"One each!" Ruby deployed her scythe and grinned, sending him a smirk.

"O-okay…" Jaune forced a smile on his face, secretly terrified.

 _Okay… All right… You got it, Jaune. Done this before…Done this before. Trust your semblance…_

As Ruby bolted towards her enemy, Jaune faced his own.

The Beowolf continued to approach him cautiously, groaning lowly.

Jaune flexed his legs and adopted a profile stance while raising his right hand in front of him, giving him slightly more reach.

Then, Jaune did something he didn't do often.

He _channeled_ his semblance.

 _I'm in danger, protect me!_

His semblance eagerly responded, and spread through his entire body, searching for a target.

 _Crack!_

Immediately, the ground below his feet broke apart, fissures spreading like a web and shaking the ground all around Jaune.

This was completely unplanned. He had not intended to break the ground. His semblance had just naturally latched on the only thing it could find, which was the dirt below his feet.

However, it was quite lucky, as it caused the Beowolf to stumble and lose balance!

Jaune seized the opportunity and grabbed one of its paw, shutting his eyes close.

The power instantly latched again, not only into Jaune's feet, but also into his arm, and poured itself into the Grimm's body!

 _Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_

Like a storm of firecrackers had erupted inside its body, all the Grimm's bones broke apart, and his flesh twisted in unnatural ways, leaking black blood. Its fangs and claws shattered, and his eyeballs exploded!

A disgusting sight!

With a roar of pain, the Grimm fell backward and vanished in dark fumes.

"Woaaaaah!" Ruby gaped, having already finished hers a long time ago. "A-awesooome!"

"Sorry... I took a bit longer," Jaune apologized bashfully.

"Heh, it's fine, Jaune." She grinned, and they continued their walk. "Really, don't sweat it!"

And so they set off again.

Between Ruby and her giant scythe exterminating Grimm at incredible speed,

And Jaune's semblance fracturing whatever Grimm tried to attack him,

They were able to quickly dispatch whatever Grimm they met in brutal fashion.

Some Grimm had their whole body broken up, while others only got a broken limb.

It was probably a matter of how much Aura he used, Jaune supposed. But he didn't know how to quantify such things. He only knew how to call his semblance, and let it do its thing.

He had absolutely no control over the 'valve' of his semblance, he could just open it. And when he opened that 'valve', he didn't know how wide. On the other hand, closing the valve always required effort from him, and was even impossible in some extreme cases.

And sometimes, the semblance even broke the valve open on its own! Jaune had no control over it.

"I love it when you do that," Ruby grinned when he killed another Grimm. "It's so satisfying to see these Grimm's limbs break and twist until it dies, muahahaha!" She laughed evilly.

Th-that was rather dark… Jaune didn't really like all the sickening violence, honestly. The sound of fracturing bones gave him chills and reminded him all too much of past mistakes.

"…How you move your scythe, is pretty cool too." Jaune replied.

It was true. When wielding her scythe, Ruby looked like she was dancing. It was quite a beautiful sight, especially with her skirt and cape, very graceful.

"Thanks!" Ruby grinned widely, "You know what, we should come up with some moves!"

"Moves?" Jaune tilted his head to the side.

Ruby started imagining new moves as they were making their way through the forest. She seemed very excited.

"How about a move that combines the two of us: I make us go fast and you touch them and break their bones with your semblance! How awesome is that!"

"That sounds great," Jaune admitted, although he was a bit nervous at the idea of moving at such speed. Also, he would probably break Ruby's body if they ever tried something like that... It made his stomach twist painfully, scared of the very idea. "But, um, I think we should focus on Initiation, though."

Jaune was serious! He really didn't want to fail Initiation, it was his last chance at a decent life after all. Beacon had been very kind and understanding with him, he didn't want to leave this school.

Also, since it was his first time in ' _Grimm territory_ ', Jaune was a bit too nervous to hold a casual conversation with Ruby.

He was constantly checking his surroundings, scared that a monster sneaked up on him!

"R-right, right!" Ruby chuckled, embarrassed. "I get excited! Sorry."

"It's... It's just that we need to complete the mission first... But I'm excited too!" Jaune assured.

They exchanged a grin.

A warm feeling spread from Jaune's heart.

 _So that's what it's like to have a friend? This is awesome!_

* * *

 **With Yang.**

… _Am I in the twilight zone?_

Yang was floating on a little cloud of happiness, right now.

Why? Because…

"…So I am guessing you had quite a lot of _Pyrrhic_ victories!" She winked at Pyrrha, nudging her shoulder. "Eh? Eh? Get it?"

Pyrrha laughed.

She _laughed_!

It was a wonderful laugh, music to Yang's ears.

"S-stop, Yang…" She giggled fondly, wiping a tear in her eye, "I'm getting tired of laughing!"

Yang grinned proudly.

She sure was on fire today! She kept making funny jokes, and Pyrrha kept laughing wholesomely, she genuinely found them funny!

"Okay. Okay. Let's change the subject! Did you go see the movie Thor?"

"Hm?" Pyrrha blinked, before shrugging, "Oh, yes, but I didn't really enjoy it. I'm not really into these action movies…"

"I see." Yang grinned in anticipation, "Did it leave a _Thor_ spot on you? Huh?"

"W-well… N-no…" Pyrrha's mouth twitched, breaking into a smile. "Pffft hahahaha!"

Yang sniffed quietly, watching her beautiful partner laugh.

 _Finally. I have found someone. My soulmate!_

"N-no, seriously." Pyrrha tried to calm down, some giggles still escaping her mouth. "I'm not into these movies…"

"No? What else did you watch then?"

"Well, I watched Akira, for example, but didn't really care for it…"

"Didn't really _Akira_ for it?"

"Pppffffft hehehahahahahaha!"

Pyrrha grabbed Yang shoulder and held her sizes, laughing her ass off.

"I swear… Fuhu... Yang… If you don't stop… You'll get a _Pun_ -ishment!"

They stared at each other for a second.

And then the two of them broke into a loud laugh again, holding each other.

"..."

Meanwhile, Ren and Nora, who they had met up with, could only stare at them with horrified expressions on their faces.

* * *

 **With Weiss.**

"Haaa!"

Challenging fire dust in her rapier, Weiss waved her weapon and produced a cone of fire, burning several Beowolves.

She had been ambushed, the pack had hidden in bushes and quietly surrounded her without noticing.

There were quite a lot of these monsters…

Hmph… If these beasts thought they caught an easy target, she would show them!

Ducking under a strike, she tightened her grip on Myrtenaster and executed a flurry of rapid stabs into the beast's body.

The body fell back and instantly disappeared in black smoke.

"Grrrr!"

Weiss panted as she looked around her.

Dozens of Beowolves were still surrounding her.

She grit her teeth, panting. She was starting to get tired. It had been thirty minutes since she started killing these beasts, yet they kept coming at her.

The Beowolves charged, roaring wildly.

"Haaaa!" Weiss raised her sword vertically and brought her down, striking the ground.

Ice materialized around her sword, and spread in a rose shape, creating stingers of ice that stabbed six of the Beowolves attacking her.

A Grimm appeared behind her. Weiss dashed forward, feeling the claw brush against the back of her dress. Weiss executed a perfect backward somersault, materialized a Glyph in the air above the Grimm to get a footing, flexed her legs and stroked down, piercing the back of the Grimm's neck.

Another two Grimm attacked, from her left and right. The young heiress was quick to jump towards one the one on the right, side-steeping its claw with a well-placed glyph, and stabbing it in the chest. Setting her foot on its belly, she flexed her legs and launched herself off the body, in order to strike the other Beowolf that had been on the left. With three rapid, precise strikes, she pierced its eyes and stabbed it through its mouth.

"Haaa… Haaa…"

Weiss panted as she narrowly evaded an attack again. Casting a quick glance around her, she got a vague idea that there were still plenty of Grimm to harass her.

 _I have to escape._ She realized, perhaps a bit too late, _I can't kill them all!_

Weiss widened her eyes, suddenly realizing that five other Grimm were jumping on her from different directions at the same time.

She raised her sword, channeling her fire dust in a spherical shape around herself, and pouring a large quantity of Aura into it.

A large shield of flames was raised around her.

Like one single entity, the Grimm all stroke at the same time.

 _Booom!_

The shield exploded around her, spreading deadly flames through the dozens of Grimm and disintegrating the monsters.

"Urgh!" Weiss winced at the impact that had consumed a giant chunk of her Aura.

"Haa…" She panted as she looked at the devastated area around her. The wasteland around her was releasing fire smoke and Grimm fumes, causing a sort of fog to appear in the area. Through the fog, Weiss could barely see the other trees' shapes along with the crackling flames that were burning them.

Two giant shadows stepped into sight, having survived the fire blast.

Ursas... She had to escape!

"Ugh…" She tried to move, only for her to gasp in panic.

Her legs… She couldn't move them anymore…! They were shaking too much.

A memory flashed in her mind.

" _I'm not always going to be around to save you, Weiss."_

" _I'm sorry. I'll get better."_

" _You'll have to if you want to leave."_

Weiss snapped her eyes open.

This couldn't be!

The meaning of the strength that Weiss had sought, and the meaning of Winter's training…

All to fail here?

The two Ursas roared, charging her.

Weiss channeled once again her semblance, creating a gravity glyph below her to lighten her weight so that her legs could manage to support her body.

Just as the two Ursas were approaching, she jumped high in the air. This was possible because she had made her body extremely light with gravity manipulation!

Looking down, Weiss pointed her hand at the Gravity Glyph she had previously made, turning it into a Fire Glyph and channeling a large quantity of Aura into it. One of the Ursas, caught in its charge, stepped on it like the dumb beast it was.

With a snap of her fingers, the Glyph exploded, throwing the massive Ursa's body into the air towards her. Summoning a normal Glyph above her for footing, Weiss restored her weight to normal and kicked herself off her Glyph, diving at high speed towards the Ursa!

"Haaaa!" Weiss roared, her Myrtenaster pointed down.

She impacted the huge body violently, her rapier thrusting deeply into the flesh, and bending the Ursa in two as they dived towards the ground.

"Aaaaah!" Weiss screamed as the two of them impacted the ground.

She quickly sat up on the Ursa's body as it roared in pain, raising her weapon and bringing it down once again.

"Die!"

Weiss stabbed the Ursa again. Using both hands to bring the weapon down.

And again, and again!

"Die! Die! Diiiie!"

During an intense life-or-death battle, a person's personality gets transformed.

Only the fighting spirit and the urge to survive remained.

 _Kill_ or _get killed_!

That was Weiss' raw thought process right now, as she was too exhausted from the fight to think straight!

"Diiiiie!" She repeated savagely.

How dare these dumb beasts tried to get the better of her, the heiress of the SDC!

Eventually, the Ursa below her finally died and started evaporating in black smoke.

However… There was the other one!

"Grrrroooaaar!"

The Ursa roared at Weiss and stroke the weapon off her hands, making her stumble backward.

Weiss panted, crouching away from the monster!

She heard large footsteps closing in behind her…

"S-someone help!" She screamed desperately.

 _Tchk!_

The Ursa froze.

And fell down, the weight of its body blowing some of the smoke away.

A dark blade was embedded into its back.

A black haired girl stood over the Ursa's dead body, her amber eyes glowing down at Weiss.

The heiress sighed and sat up, panting, as the black haired girl walked over to her.

She instantly recognized her. It was the same girl who had made snarky comments towards her father's company just after that Ruby girl exploded on Weiss.

 _"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces, and questionable business partners."_

"…"

"…"

"Thank you… You saved me." Weiss admitted reluctantly, as, despite their differents, she still felt grateful towards her savior.

"…"

The black haired girl walked past her.

Weiss' heart clenched. She'd been ignored.

No… She hadn't been ignored.

That girl had looked at Weiss, for just half a second.

And her eyes had been… full of _contempt_.

"…"

Though Weiss' heart was in turmoil, she schooled her expression and built her countenance back up. She stood up on her shaky legs, brushed her dress, fetched her weapon.

Her body was tired. Her muscles ached and she was sweating a lot. She had just narrowly escaped death.

"…"

"…"

Saying nothing, she followed after the black-haired girl who was waiting for her, yet still ignoring her, even though Weiss was limping and panting, slowly recovering from her intense fight.

"…"

Weiss, the famous heiress of the SDC, was being looked down upon by this random black-haired girl.

The way she had shown up instantly right after Weiss called for help…

And the familiar human presence that Weiss had felt before the fight…

Could it be…?

No way…?!

Had this girl been watching the whole fight?!

She had watched Weiss fight these Grimm and fail miserably?

And she had done nothing until Weiss finally admitted needing help and desperately screamed for someone?

"…"

A dark pit opened in Weiss' heart, and she gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing on her… new partner's back.

…

What Weiss was feeling was…

 _Humiliation._

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

"Haaa… Haaa…"

Jaune was panting.

After making their way through the forest, and killing many Grimm, he was exhausted.

It couldn't be helped. Jaune was an untrained civilian with no stamina or strength. His body was weak; that was all there was to it. It had been bound to happen sooner or later.

"Come on, Jaune!" Ruby encouraged him, "You can do it!"

"Haaa… haaa…!" Jaune was panting. His legs had started hurting, and he had trouble breathing. He also had a little headache that was slowly increasing in pain.

His weak body couldn't hold up!

"We're nearly there!"

Though Ruby was encouraging him, it looked like she had finally figured out how unprepared Jaune really was to being a Huntsman and how weak his body truly was.

At some point during their walk, she had probably realized how untrained Jaune was, and how much of a weight he was going to be for her.

And so, there had been a short period, when she had been a little upset about it and had stayed quiet for some time.

During that time, sometimes, Ruby had given a little sigh of disappointment, when she thought he couldn't hear.

Honestly, these little sighs of disappointment, they had nearly broken Jaune's heart.

Hearing these sighs, he had been unable to meet her eyes for some time. And how could he? He was weighing her down, this fifteen-year-old genius girl.

But… she hadn't called him out for it.

And now, she wasn't sighing anymore, instead, she was encouraging him.

It looked like she had resolved herself, and moved passed it already.

Perhaps she was just focusing on the Initiation, as Jaune had asked her earlier.

He just hoped he wasn't too heavy a burden, slowing her down like that.

 _I'm a burden. I don't deserve such a good partner like her..._ _And she certainly doesn't deserve a bad partner like me._ _I'll have to work hard for her._

"There's the edge of the forest!" Ruby called excitedly. "We've made it, Jaune!"

"R-really!" Jaune gasped, panting.

"Yeah! I can see the ruins!" Ruby said, "There are chess pieces over there!"

This reignited Jaune's spirit, and he forced his body to push forward.

Indeed, some ruins were there, and the two of them walked over.

When they arrived, there were already two people there.

A black-haired girl that Jaune didn't know, and the girl named Weiss that had shouted at him right before Initiation in the lockers room.

They were both very quiet.

"Hey, Blake!" Ruby waved, smiling. "You're here already!"

"…" The girl named Blake just gave Ruby a sassy smirk, as if to say ' _but of course, what did you expect._ '.

Meanwhile, Jaune looked over at Weiss, who seemed to be very exhausted. Her body was covered in scratches and soot. The back of her dress had been torn apart, revealing skin, and her skirt had been partially ripped up too.

"U-um, are you okay?" Jaune frowned, a little worried.

"Yes!" She seethed through her teeth. "L-leave me alone…"

Her voice was shaking…

"Okay…" Jaune nodded and backed away respectfully.

Jaune was all too familiar with her expression.

Her clenched fists. Her eyes looking down, hurt. Her mouth stiff, clearly mortified.

Jaune had been like this quite a lot, in the past. During the moments after his bullies had done something especially mean, back when he had been ridiculed.

It was a state where you held your anger and humiliation inside.

For Jaune, it had been necessary to hold it inside, because if he let the rage out, his semblance would wreak havoc on his surroundings.

What was it for Weiss? What made her keep it all inside, he wondered.

"All right! Let's take this cute little poney!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Okay," Jaune smiled.

Meanwhile, Blake took the other Knight piece, without even asking Weiss.

Weiss did react, her eyes narrowed and focused on Blake for a short moment.

Blake merely raised an eyebrow.

Weiss looked away. Her eyes were... ashamed?

"…"

"…"

Jaune widened his eyes, and he immediately realized what was going on.

This was bad… Jaune instantly recognized it!

That raise of eyebrow. That look on Weiss' face. Her appearance. Blake's smirk and sassy attitude.

Weiss was basically getting... _bullied_! Right? Even if it was just soft bullying.

Hmm, perhaps it was not the right word for it... But Blake definitely did have a ' _passive-aggressive_ ' attitude.

Jaune knew, because he had lived through this kind of thing for a long time! Even though he had never even _heard_ Blake's voice, he was able to immediately put the pieces together from just a couple of glances.

Ruby probably didn't realize it, but it was very obvious for Jaune, and as he observed them, he grew more and more certain.

However, Jaune couldn't really say anything to these two. He was way too socially awkward himself, and these two girls were way too beautiful for him to properly hold a conversation about this stuff!

Also, he might have been a bit scared of Weiss snapping at him again…

And from what he understood, Blake and Ruby were friends. If possible, Jaune didn't want to have any conflict with Ruby, who he was already weighing down…

Aaah… This was too complicated for Jaune.

 _Let's not get involved..._

* * *

 **Back at Beacon.**

"...you will work together as... team CRDL [Cardinal]. Led by... Cardin Winchester."

Blake applauded politely, along with the crowd.

"…So how did it go on your side?" Blake heard Ruby ask Yang.

"We met with these two lovebirds," The blonde girl grinned, pointing at Ren and Nora, "And then the four of us took out a Deathstalker. Nothing much, really."

"You took out a Deathstalker?" Ruby gaped. "Oh maaaan, we only had Beowolves to kill… Right, Jaune?"

"Y-yeah..." The blonde guy replied shyly. It seemed he was uncomfortable around so many people.

"We had a couple Ursas," Blake remarked, sending a mocking smirk to Weiss.

"..." The heiress didn't answer, narrowing her eyes and looking down.

The Schnee couldn't really comment. The little miss perfect had failed to hold her own against a little pack of Grimm, as expected of a spoiled rich girl who had spent her life sheltered in the Schnee manor.

"We nearly died!" An orange-haired girl exclaimed dramatically. "Those puns... They were destroying our will to live! It was horrible!"

"It wasn't that bad..." Pyrrha Nykos blushed.

"It _was_ pretty bad." A guy with black hair and pink eyes stated.

"Hey, hey, now, Ren, listen to my dear partner, she knows what she's talking about!" Yang laughed, holding Nykos close to her with an arm around her shoulder. "You guys just don't understand true humor!"

"Hahaha..." Nykos laughed awkwardly, scratching her head embarrassingly.

"Well, we're getting called on stage." The pink-eyed guy said. "We should go."

They hurried on stage and stood in front of the headmaster.

"Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao-Long, Lie Ren, and Nora Valyrie. The four of you retrieved the Tower pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team PYRN (Pyrène), led by... Pyrrha Nikos."

 _Clap Clap Clap._

"As expected of Pyrrha," Weiss muttered, obviously envious.

"Hmph." Blake snorted. "She _is_ competent, I suppose."

 _'Unlike you.'_ went unsaid, but the Schnee understood the message nonetheless, as her eyes darkened.

"It's our turn, guys!" Ruby called excitedly, unaware of her teammates' conflict.

The four of them walked on stage and stopped in front of the headmaster.

"Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, and Weiss Schnee. The four of you retrieved the Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RABW (Rainbow), led by...

...Ruby Rose."

Blake saw the Schnee widen her eyes in consternation.

Blake glared at the spoiled heiress meaningfully, narrowing her eyes.

The Schnee caught her stare.

 _You failed to defend yourself against some weak Grimm, and even needed my help. Do you have anything to say? Surely you don't think you would make a better leader?_

The heiress of Schnee Dust Company looked down, exhausted and mortified.

 _Hmph… That's what I thought._ Blake snorted.

Communicating through glares! A famous ability that was unique to Cat-Faunus.

Blake turned her eyes to Ruby, who was now her new leader.

She was sharing a high-five with her blonde idiot of a partner, the two of them grinning happily.

Then Ruby's sister went on stage to hug her.

How cute... It put a smile on Blake's face.

"…?"

Blake's eyes narrowed as she caught Jaune Arc staring at her with eyes full of disapproval.

But he quickly looked away, clearly uncomfortable.

"…"

 _That kind of guy won't have the guts to stand up for his princess. Probably just a Schnee fanboy._

 _Oh, well…_ Blake shrugged to herself, looking at Ruby. She remembered her conversation the evening before initiation.

" _Unfortunately the world isn't like a fairy tale."_

" _That's why we're here. To make it better!"_

Blake may have gotten the worst partner that she could have wished for, Weiss Schnee, but at the very least, Ruby Rose showed potential to be a fine leader.

Still... Ugh. Just thinking that she was going to share a dorm with that Schnee made her consider quitting Beacon right away.

…

…

…

But how?

Why?

Why was Blake like this?

You might ask.

Because!

Because this heiress!

This _Schnee_ had said only _ONE_ line, this morning before Initiation, a line that Blake had overheard by accident!

" _I need a safe place to store it otherwise some Faunus thief is going to steal it! "_

 _Faunus thief!_

 _Faunus!_

 _Thief!_

…

…

…

At the time, these words had resonated within Blake's mind, painting a clear picture of the heiress' personality.

" _As expected from a Schnee…"_ Was Blake's natural reaction.

At that moment, she had given up any hope of Weiss being different from her father.

Despite having wanted to reserve her judgment, Blake had instantly drawn conclusions in her head!

Despite the fact that the only thing Weiss did was to mention ' _Faunus thieves_ '. Only _one_ time was enough for Blake to put Weiss in the same box as her father.

First impressions were everything!

…

However… Blake had still saved Weiss.

Even if Blake had unconsciously waited for Weiss to call for help desperately, to satisfy her ego... In the end, she had still saved Weiss.

After leaving the White-Fang, it would be hypocritical of her to let the Schnee heiress _die_ just because she could.

She hadn't left Adam and the White-Fang to perpetuate their hateful methods!

No… Blake had come to Beacon in search of a new start. A new life. To forget her past.

…

And yet…

Yet, Blake couldn't help the way she felt, either.

She couldn't help the looks of contempt she was throwing at Weiss.

She couldn't help the passive-aggressive attitude.

She couldn't help but associate Weiss with her father's company after that _one_ racist comment.

She just couldn't help it.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Now that the first three chapters are out, tell me what you think, where I can improve. Feedback is essential.**

 **Usually, I hate Initiation. Always the same goddamn fight with the Deathstalker and Nevermore. Screw that.**

 **See you next time.**


	4. First Day Team Building

**Here we go again. Long chapter. Maybe I should have cut it in half.**

 **Also my update schedule can be pretty random, apologies**.

* * *

 _It was raining. The sky was grey._

 _Everyone was dressed in black._

" _Today, we acknowledge a really… terrible… loss." Ozpin's voice resonated in the main hall._

 _His face was pained._ _Everyone was silent._

" _An exceptionally hard-working student. Infinitely talented._

 _Let this be a reminder that Grimm should not be taken lightly._

 _Remember,_ _Weiss Schnee._

 _A talented, promising young woman._

 _Therefore, I think you all have the right to know what exactly happened to her. How she truly died._

 _You see… Weiss Schnee was left to die._

 _By none other than her assigned partner, Blake Belladonna!"_

" _N-no!" Blake gasped in horror. "I-I never wanted this!"_

 _A familiar man with red hair and a white mask on his face turned to her, smirking proudly._

" _Good work, Blake, my darling. I knew I could count on you..."_

* * *

Blake gasped and snapped her eyes open.

"Haa…! Haaa…" She panted, covered in sweat, her eyes darting around the dorm in the darkness.

The three others were sleeping. In a panic, Blake reached out to the bed next to her, unraveling the covers and sheets.

"Ngh…! Gh…" Weiss Schnee groaned in her sleep, clearly troubled.

"…"

Blake sighed, her heart hammering in her chest. Weiss Schnee was there, she was safe in her bed.

Right… A nightmare… Just a nightmare.

"…"

Blake put the cover back on the heiress, who was still shifting positions in her fitful sleep.

"…"

"Ngh…! D-die…" The heiress groaned in her sleep, clenching her sheets in her tiny fists, "N-no…! He…lp… Win...ter."

"…"

Hearing these scared, inaudible mumbles, Blake buried her face in her pillow.

 _Ugh... I thought I had left this behind... What am I doing?_

* * *

 **The morning after.**

" _DRIIIIIIIIIIIII!"_

"Gaaah!" Jaune snapped his eyes open and screamed at the high pitched noise piercing his ears.

 _Crack!_

The bed he had been sleeping on suddenly broke apart, slumping to the ground.

"Wha-, Jaune! I'm sorry!"

Jaune blinked as he looked up to a fully dressed Ruby.

"I broke the bed…" Jaune mumbled bashfully.

"Already breaking things first thing in the morning?" Weiss' voice commented. "This has to set a record. You better stay away from _my_ things!"

"I'm sorry…"

"It's all right, Jaune!" Ruby smiled kindly, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.

"Thanks, Ruby." Jaune smiled despite the rough waking up.

"I really shouldn't have woken you up like that." Ruby scratched her head awkwardly, looking at the remnants of the bed that had been basically dismantled. "Now your bed is all messed up. Sorry!"

"It's not your fault," Jaune assured.

"You apologize to him?" Weiss huffed. "What about me!"

"You didn't break your bed so it's fine!" Ruby waved it away.

"It is _not_ fine! I swear, Ruby, if you wake me up like this one more time, I'll freeze you in a block of ice!"

"You wouldn't do that~"

"I would do so much more than-"

Weiss suddenly paused in the middle of her sentence, as the door of the bathroom opened.

Blake stepped into the room, fully dressed.

Weiss instantly went silent.

"Hi, Blake!" Ruby grinned.

"Hi." Blake smiled back at Ruby.

"Hi… Blake…" Jaune blushed, waving his hand shyly.

He still didn't know this girl very well. No matter what, Jaune was still very shy around girls.

"…"

Weiss stormed into the bathroom.

"…What's with the stripped down bed?" Blake asked, not paying Weiss any mind.

"Jaune broke it cause I startled him when I woke him up," Ruby explained.

"S-sorry…"

"It's fine. It's _your_ bed, not mine." Blake shrugged.

"O-okay…" Jaune nodded, looking down.

"Cheer up, Jaune!" Ruby pat him on the shoulder, "Today marks the start of a series of wonderful events!" She twirled around him cutely, "And once everyone is ready, I propose we reallocate our space in this room!"

"You're right…!" Jaune's eyes brightened. "I'll just have to ask Miss Goodwitch to fix the bed!"

"Um, I'm not sure she's gonna help us…" Ruby mused.

* * *

After a moment, Weiss came out of the bathroom.

She was drying her white, shiny hair with a towel, making it flutter wildly and gracefully as the last drops of water ran through her hair and made it all the more beautiful.

Jaune blushed red as he stared at the beautiful Weiss stepping into the room.

He was going to have this sight every morning? With three girls? No way! This was too much, his heart was going to burst!

"What?" Weiss huffed, sending him a glare.

"N-nothing!" Jaune gasped and hurried into the bathroom after her.

"Tch, boys." Weiss groaned, rolling her eyes.

Jaune heard Ruby giggle just before he closed the door.

"Ugh..." Jaune sighed, leaning his back on the door and sliding down to the ground.

This was bad… Was it going to be like this every day?

Impossible! Sharing a bedroom and a bathroom with the cute Ruby, the elegant Weiss and the beautiful Blake was going to drive him crazy! He was definitely going to make a fool out of himself, and very soon, he just knew it!

"…And if it happens… I'm gonna break something… For sure." Jaune mumbled.

If he got too excited, his semblance would go out of control. It was a certainty.

"…"

Therefore, Jaune took the time to calm down for a bit before using the shower.

It wouldn't do to just break everything on his first day…

* * *

Fortunately, once he calmed down, he was able to shower properly without breaking anything.

Once he dressed up, Jaune took a deep breath and opened the door.

 _Crack!_

The door's handle broke.

"…"

Jaune sighed, and dropped the handle to the ground.

It looked like it was going to be inevitable for him to break some things.

"What was that?" Weiss' voice called from outside. "What is this gauche doing! He broke the handle!"

Naturally, the handle on the other side got broken too, as the two parts were connected.

"Jaune! Are you okay?" Ruby's voice called.

"I'm fine…" Jaune sighed and tried to open the door.

There was no handle anymore, and the door was still locked…

"U-um… Crap." Jaune panicked. How was he going to get out of the bathroom?

Well, the answer was simple. It wasn't like it hadn't happened to him before.

Jaune applied the palm of his hand onto the lock.

 _Crack!_

The lock broke down, letting the door open on its own.

"This… This can't be happening." Weiss glared at him with wide eyes, furious. "You broke the _door_?! How are we going to shower in peace, knowing that you can creep up on us at any time now!"

"Sorry." Jaune simply said. "But I couldn't just stay locked in the bathroom…"

He was used to it. Just let the storm pass, easy, Jaune was used to it.

"Sorry isn't good enough!" Weiss shouted, making him wince at the volume of her voice. Did Miss Crappert die and reincarnated in Weiss' body? The more he spent time around Weiss, the more it seemed plausible. "You're a calamity! You will-"

"Could you stop shouting first thing in the morning?" Blake asked, cutting her.

This rendered Weiss silent instantly.

Damn... What was going on between these two?

"J-Jaune!" Ruby grinned awkwardly, filling up the silence. "D-don't worry about it! The furniture in this dorm must be very old to fall down so easily!"

"I don't think that's the case..." Jaune sighed.

She seemed relieved to see him here.

With this atmosphere, Jaune could understand why. Weiss was glaring at Blake, and Blake was reading a book, ignoring Weiss.

"Sorry I took a bit long to shower, Ruby." Jaune smiled at Ruby, whose cheerful grin was contagious.

"It's fine!" She cheered, clearly trying her best to lighten them up. She sure was strong, if it was Jaune, he wouldn't be able to speak up in this tense atmosphere. "Now we can begin our first order of business this morning! Which is... Decorating!"

Decorating? With what? Jaune had no belongings.

"…You're right. We still have to unpack." Blake noted.

"Let's do it!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

The three girls started decorating the room, while Jaune could only stand there and watch.

"What about you, Jaune?" Ruby asked. "Come on, you gotta have something, right?"

"N-no… I have nothing." He replied, a bit embarrassed.

"Uuu..." Ruby pouted as she pulled out her things, looking at him sadly.

 _Don't look at me like that, please..._

Watching the others, Jaune noticed Blake putting some books on the shelf.

Actually, no, that wasn't true! He _did_ have something. He had some books!

Smiling happily, Jaune took out his five precious books and carefully placed them on the shelf.

Somehow, it felt like just by putting his books there, he had earned a little place in this room, like he had made a small part of the room his.

Even if it was nothing compared to the mountain of books brought by the three other girls... Jeez, these girls sure liked to read. From classical literature to glossaries and encyclopedias, to comics and mangas... and...

His eyes trailed on a particular title.

"Hm, what's this?" Jaune squinted his eyes, leaning forward. "Ninjas of… Love…?"

"It's nothing." Blake suddenly appeared behind him, a scary expression on her face. "I misplaced it."

She grabbed it from his hands and put it back in her bag.

"Mis... misplaced?" Jaune tilted his head to the side, confused. "But, um... Isn't a book's place on the shelf?"

"No." Blake's eyes narrowed into slits, staring into his soul. Scary... "Not this one."

"Wh-why?" Jaune asked.

"…" Blake paused for a moment, apparently thinking. "Because… My books already take too much place on the shelf. I have to leave some space for you all."

"Oh…" Jaune blinked. This girl was surprisingly thoughtful. "Th-that's kind of you…" Jaune gave her a smile. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome," Blake nodded and hurriedly walked away with her book.

This was weird… Wasn't this girl antagonizing Weiss? Then why was she so considerate? Hmmm… Maybe Jaune had misread the situation?

Or perhaps she was only after Weiss...?

* * *

 **Minutes later.**

"This doesn't look good," Ruby said.

"Really? What gave you that idea?" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"…" Blake was frowning as well.

"Y-you all have… so much stuff." Jaune gaped.

Three-quarters of the room was filled with the girls' belongings, and then there was Jaune's side, where there was nothing but a dismantled bed and white sheets.

"…"

"I know! Let's ditch the beds, and turn them into bunk-beds!" Ruby suggested, waving her arms widely.

"That's a terrible idea," Weiss scoffed.

"I agree…" Jaune nodded.

Jaune didn't want to have a bed fall on his face, thank you very much.

"Whaaat!" Ruby whined, "But having bunk beds would save a lot of space!"

"Um… You can place your things on my side if you're missing some space." Jaune offered.

"But I can't just steal your space! And the bunk beds are way cooler!" Ruby crossed her arms and pouted. "We definitely need bunk beds to increase our _cool factor_!"

"That's not an argument, Ruby." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's still better than just saying it's a terrible idea." Blake pointed out.

"…"

"E-er..." Ruby hesitated, glancing between the two apprehensively, sensing the conflict between the two girls.

Jaune gathered his courage and spoke up. "Ho-how about… we decide later, and go to class?"

"Classes? Laaaame!" Ruby called.

"It _is_ about time we go to class." Weiss scoffed. "Any later and we would have been late!"

"A-all right, then…" Ruby laughed awkwardly, "T-t-t-to to class!"

* * *

 **Later**

"Monsters! Deeeemons… Prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names…" Professor Port was explaining while Ruby was snoring next to Jaune. "But I, merely refer to them as prey."

Jaune focused on the lesson as he tried to take some notes.

He was at his third pen already, having broken two others before. He still had a good dozen to go through, so it should be okay to last a few days.

He had to be very focused. Jaune wasn't used to write, so he was slow at taking notes. Plus, his semblance might strike at any time to break his pen, or worse, rip up his notes.

So he had to take every sheet he wrote on one by one, so that he didn't rip up all of his notes if his semblance decided to strike.

"Pssst, Jaune!"

"Hm?" Jaune raised his head towards Ruby, who had apparently woken up.

"Look!" She grinned, showing him a picture of… professor Port?

"Pffft!" Jaune sniggered along with Ruby and Yang, who was sat just behind them.

 _Crack!_

Jaune's pen broke, making him drop his smile instantly.

Sometimes, something as simple as laughing could trigger his semblance.

"…Haa." Jaune sighed quietly and grabbed another pen from his pencil case.

All right… Let's focus on taking notes properly.

Suddenly, something bumped on the back of his neck.

"…?"

Jaune frowned and took a look at whatever had fallen on him.

A paper plane.

"…"

Jaune unfolded it. There was a message written in it.

' _You fake. Go back to being a civilian.'_

"…"

 _Crack!_

His semblance ripped up the paper.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune looked back behind him.

There was that orange haired guy who had bumped into him the day before initiation, smirking down at him.

"…"

It looked like Jaune had found his first bully. It really hadn't taken long.

The guy was already making a ball of paper, smirking down at him while his friends snickered.

Jaune turned back towards the professor. So even at the great Beacon, there were people like this. Not surprising, but still.

A ball of paper bumped onto Jaune's neck again.

 _Ugh..._

Jaune ignored it and tried to focus on the lesson.

But another ball of paper bumped onto the back of his head.

And another again...

And another.

"Grr..." Jaune growled lowly. He was starting to get frustrated.

Usually, Jaune always sat in the back of the class, to avoid such annoyances, but now he had to sit with his team.

"Jaune," Ruby called him. "Are you okay? These guys are jerks, let's tell the teacher!"

"The teacher won't do anything, Ruby." Jaune sighed, a bit mortified that his friend Ruby had already found out what was happening. "Teachers are useless in these situations."

"Then let's engage them in a battle of papers!" She suggested ferociously.

"N-no, you don't have to do this, it would only get you in trouble." Jaune shook his head, giving her a smile, "I'm fine."

Another ball of paper bumped on his neck and fell right into the back of his collar.

"Oooh! Plus three points." He heard the guy chuckle.

 _Crack!_

The pen in Jaune's hand shattered, and the chair he was sitting on suddenly broke, making Jaune fall down, causing a racket in the middle of the class.

"J-Jaune!" Ruby gasped.

"Mr. Arc!" Professor Port exclaimed as the majority of the class laughed at his expense. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, sir." Jaune sighed, standing up. He caught the orange-haired guy snicker in the back of the class.

With this, Jaune had now become the public laughing-stock. It didn't take much, really.

Jaune sighed under his breath.

Eh. He wasn't angry. He was used to this, this was simply his everyday life.

"Um… I-I need another chair." Jaune requested, embarrassed.

"Of course, of course!" The professor nodded. Had he been warned of his semblance? "Hmm…" The man caressed his mustache, "How about you demonstrate the point I was explaining earlier?"

"P-pardon…?" Jaune widened his eyes in panic. What had the teacher been saying again? Jaune hadn't listened, he'd been distracted…

"Do you believe you have what it takes to slay this beast?" The teacher asked, waving to a cage.

The cage shook, the beast inside it growling in displeasure.

 _If it's a Beowolf, I should be okay…_

"U-um, yes…" Jaune answered apprehensively.

"Then come down, and face your enemy!"

"…" Jaune left his table, passing by Ruby, who patted his arm.

"You can do it, Jaune!" She gave him a warm grin. "I believe in you, one touch and it's dead! One touch man!"

"One touch man," Jaune nodded and smiled back.

Aaah, no matter what, if Ruby smiled at him, then Jaune could smile too. There was something about her smile that was familiar, that made him nostalgic, for some reason.

The smile on her face made him more relaxed, so Jaune was able to step on the stage in front of the cage and stood there awkwardly.

"Mr. Arc. Your weapon!" The teacher called.

"...I... I don't have a weapon," Jaune mumbled.

The class snickered.

"No weapon? Preposterous! What about your fighting outfit?"

"U-um…" Jaune blushed bright red. "I… I-I don't have a fighting outfit, either…"

The class laughed again.

"Pfft!"

"Hah, where is this guy coming from?"

"What a clown."

"I feel bad for him…"

"They accept people like him in this school?"

"This dunce…" Jaune heard Weiss groan under her breath.

Hearing her specific voice agree with the others hurt more than he cared to admit.

"…"

 _Ugh. Can't this teacher hurry up already? I want to go back to his seat as soon as possible..._

"Represent teeeeeam Rainbow!" Ruby cheered over the other voices, causing his heart to lighten up.

"Fight well." Even Blake called him.

He may have misjudged her after all! It seemed that she really _was_ a kind person.

"Very well, then, Mr. Arc… Are you ready?"

"Y-yes."

"Then… Fight!"

With that, the professor opened the cage's door, freeing the beast.

It wasn't a Beowolf.

Jaune widened his eyes. Instead, it was a large boar-like creature!

And it was now charging at him!

Jaune panicked. If this thing-

The beast was on him already, dashing at him and lunging his tusks forward.

Jaune staggered back, trying to dodge, but the tusks hit him on the waist, throwing him backward.

 _Crack!_

At the same time, his semblance naturally lashed out.

The tusks broke apart, splitting in two, making the Grimm roar in pain.

At the same time, Jaune landed on his butt.

 _Crack!_

Naturally, his semblance attacked the floor and cracked the ground. If Jaune was in danger, the semblance would attack anything.

The boar roared angrily, and jumped forward, spinning its body along its spine and rolling towards him.

"…!"

Jaune widened his eyes and slammed the floor with his hand, channeling his semblance.

 _Crack!_

 _Booooom!_

The whole floor of the stage shattered, making the Grimm lose balance and fall on its side. Even the teacher on the side staggered for a moment.

Jaune had acquired experience from his first fight in Initiation! Now, he knew that Grimm were prompt to lose balance just like humans, so he was going to use that trick quite often against them.

Make them fall by shattering the ground, and strike when they are trying to restore their balance!

As the Grimm was confused and tried to stand up on its cloven-feet, Jaune threw his body forward and applied his palm onto the monster's side.

 _Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_

The Grimm's remaining tusks shattered, along with its teeth and its weird, bone-like mask on its face. Its flesh twisted on itself, splattering black blood everywhere and breaking the entirety of its skeleton. And finally, the most gruesome, its eyeballs blew up as well.

"E-eew…" Jaune grimaced, getting some black blood on his face.

"Ahaaa! Bravo, bravo! What an unconventional match!"

 _Match? More like a blood bath._

Jaune stood up panting, trying his best to calm down. These brutal fights would take a while to get used to. He would have to close his heart to it. These were just monsters.

Meanwhile, the class had started muttering between each other. Everyone was staring at him. Probably because he had basically broken the whole stage.

It made Jaune freeze in embarrassment.

"Yeeaaah! Good fight, Jaune!" Ruby cheered him up as usual.

"..." Jaune smiled and relaxed. Ruby sure was the best at making people feel better!

"Hohoo! Bravo! It appears we are in presence of a true Huntsman in training! You destabilized this Boarbatusk by shattering the ground, quite an effective strategy against a large variety of Grimm! However, my boy, you need to work on your movements, as they were quite sloppy…"

Jaune didn't really listen.

He stared at the orange-haired guy who was currently grimacing with his friends.

Jaune hadn't accepted this fight for nothing, after all. He had a goal in mind.

 _You see? This what is going to happen if you start a fight with me. So please don't start a fight… I don't want to injure people._

Jaune had demonstrated his power to scare the potential bullies away. If these bullies started brutalizing him for some reason, then Jaune was worried he was going to hurt one of them by mistake and send them to the hospital, resulting in his expulsion from the school.

"And I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today." The teacher declared, "Thank you for your participation, Mr. Arc! I will call Miss Goodwitch to clean up, do not worry…"

"Thanks, professor Port." Jaune bowed his head gratefully.

"Be sure to cover the assigned readings! And remember, stay vigilant."

"Ugh… What a joke." Weiss groaned and stomped outside.

"…?"

* * *

 **Outside class.**

"I _hate_ this team!" Weiss proclaimed as Jaune, Ruby, and Blake were following after her.

"W-weiss! What's wrong with you?" Ruby asked, distressed. "Why are you being-"

"What's wrong with me? _What's wrong with me_?" Weiss scoffed and pointed a finger at Jaune. "This… this _clown_ just made a fool out of himself in front of the whole class! No weapon? No fighting outfit? _What do you mean?!_ This is an academy for Huntsmen! And then, he shattered the whole stage just for one Grimm! Way to make our team look bad!"

"I-I'm sure nobody thought that…" Ruby tried to reassure her, only for Weiss to cut her.

"No, I _heard_ it! Everyone is mocking him already. Pathetic." This made Jaune shrink on himself. "And you, Ruby, you kept acting like a child during the whole lesson! All you've been is a nuisance!"

"Wha-?" Ruby blinked in surprise and scoffed. "What did I do?!"

"Nothing! Nothing to earn yourself your position! Why would Ozpin make you the leader of this team is beyond my comprehension! You have no care for your teammates, waking them up by blowing a whistle in their ears, distracting them during lessons - when you're not sleeping through them - and you're not even aware of our timetable either!"

"B-but it's the first day…" Ruby said defensively, "It's supposed to be exciting… I just wanted us to be friends!"

"And then, you!" Weiss, on a rampage, turned to Blake, who narrowed her eyes. "You… You! You are! You are…" Weiss struggled to find the right word. _"_ _N-n-n_ _asty_!" She finally spat and stormed off.

"What? What did Blake do?" Ruby protested weakly.

"…Something happened during their Initiation." Jaune revealed, eyeing Blake, whose eyes zeroed on him, making him shift awkwardly. "I… I-I don't know what happened, but, um, I think you did something to upset her, Blake…"

"…"

"Blake?" Ruby called with a stern expression on her face. "Answer him, please. This is for the good of the team!"

Blake sighed, looking away from them. "No, um… Well, I'll admit I did something bad…"

"Then you just have to apologize!" Ruby's eyes widened as she grinned, having finally found the solution.

"…" Blake stiffened.

 _It's not that simple._ Jaune knew.

His bullies had never apologized to him, ever.

They always made up excuses, out of pride.

They don't want to appear weak to their victim, they want to maintain their social position of bully, their position of domination over the victim.

Was the same thing happening here? Jaune didn't know the details.

"I do feel bad, but…" Blake sighed, shaking her head. "…I'm sorry, but there's no way I can apologize when she's acting like such a spoiled child."

On these words, Blake turned away and left them.

"Oh nooo…" Ruby lamented, grabbing her head in her hands. "What are we gonna do, Jaune? The team is falling apart!"

 _And it's not even my fault_. Jaune thought, feeling oddly good about the current situation. _This has to be a first._

"Well, um…" Jaune scratched his head hesitantly, "Blake said…that she wouldn't apologize as long as Weiss is acting like a child. But… doesn't that mean that, if we can get Weiss to act more mature, then Blake wouldn't mind apologizing… Right?"

Ruby's eyes widened, and she grabbed his hand. "You genius! _Genius_!" She exclaimed, waving his hand in the air excitedly. "I'm gonna talk to Weiss right now!"

"W-wait!"

Ruby paused and turned her head back to him.

Ruby's smile had cheered Jaune up before, so he was going to return the favor to his friend. He had to support her, too!

"E-er…" Jaune hesitated, "Um, I think… I think Weiss is too harsh on you…! I think you're doing a great job, Ruby, don't listen to her! Personally, I... I trust you."

Ruby smiled sincerely, her cheeks turning pink under the praise. "Th-thanks, Jaune… It's nice to know that someone believes in me." She seemed moved by his words. "It means a lot…!"

And then she bolted away, probably going to find Weiss.

* * *

 **With Yang.**

"I wonder… Why isn't Ruby's team here?" Yang mused, chewing on her food.

She had seen the whole fight, of course.

She was a bit worried for Ruby, but at the same time, it wasn't her team, so it wasn't really her business.

If Ruby needed to talk, Yang would be there to offer some advice, but she didn't want to come off as the overprotective sister, so she was going to let her solve things on her own. This was an opportunity for her to grow up.

Still, Yang couldn't help but worry a little bit...

"Are you okay, Yang?" Her partner asked.

"I'm good, Pyrrha! Just worried for my little sis. I just can't help it, sorry…"

"No, please don't be." Pyrrha shook her head. "Family is important… I hear Weiss wasn't happy with your sister's team… I can try to talk to her if you want me to?" Pyrrha offered.

Yang sighed. This girl was really too wholesome for Yang. There had to be a flaw somewhere in her character.

"No…" Yang shook her head. "For now, I think we need to let her experience things on her own."

"Hm. Weiss can be a lot to deal with." Pyrrha nodded.

"After Jaune blew up the whole stage for just one Grimm, I guess I can understand where she's coming from."

"What do you mean?" Nora gasped. "It was awesome!"

Nora Valkyrie, of course, would find any amount of destructive power awesome.

"Did you see how the Grimm died!" Nora continued, "That was so metal!"

"It was a rough fight. He had no technique." Ren commented, "Speaking of the devil… He's over there."

"Ah?"

Team Pyrene turned their eyes towards the direction Ren pointed at.

Sure enough, Jaune Arc was there, looking around the cafeteria hesitantly, carrying his meal tray.

It was lunchtime, and none of his teammates were going to eat with him…? Not even Ruby?

What's up with that…?

Suddenly someone bumped into him, making him drop his meal tray. The food splattered on the ground and on his shoes.

"What a waste of good food…!" Nora commented, revolted.

The guy who had bumped into him, an orange-haired guy in armor, merely laughed it off and walked away with his team. What a jerk…

Jaune stood there for a moment, people snickering around him. He had a pretty good poker face, Yang had to give it to him.

"So… He's going to just stand there and take it?" Yang frowned.

After a moment, one of Beacon's staff came to him, and Jaune started to help her clean up the scene...

This was… Ugh. Such a _wimp_ was Ruby's partner? Fight back, goddammit!

"Atrocious… I can't stand people like him." Pyrrha said.

"H-huh?" Yang blinked in surprise.

"Winchester," She specified.

"Oh. That's his name?"

"Yes, Cardin Winchester." Pyrrha suddenly stood up. "Jaune!" Pyrrha called, "Over here! Come eat with us."

Jaune turned his eyes to them.

And then turned away, and continued to clean as if he didn't hear them.

"Did… Did he just _ignore_ you?" Yang gaped.

"I'm sure he didn't…" Pyrrha laughed awkwardly, sitting back down.

"It sure looked like it t, me." Nora wondered.

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

Talking with a team full of strangers, right after they saw him embarrass himself by splattering his meal tray on the ground?

Nope, not happening. Let's ignore them and find a quiet place to eat.

* * *

 **With Yang.**

"I don't like him." Yang decided grumpily. Back when they had all slept in the ballroom, he had avoided her, too.

"Let's not judge things from too far away…" Pyrrha advised patiently.

"Uhuh..." Yang groaned, not convinced.

"Yes, we may be missing something." Ren nodded along.

"Sorry, guys." Yang sighed, "I just have a bad temper, so I'm a bit of a bitch sometimes, you'll have to get used to it." She grinned, "It even defines my semblance!"

"Oh?"

"I get stronger the more I get beat up," Yang explained, "But I also get more... _Yangry_ ~!"

"Uuuuugh..." Nora and Ren groaned in their plate while Pyrrha chuckled.

"It's fine, Yang. No one is perfect." Pyrrha smiled understandingly, "How about we try some meditation later if you're having problems dealing with your temper and semblance?"

"E-eh…?" Yang winced. T-too wholesome. Pyrrha was really too wholesome. "Meditation is a bit..." Yang hesitated. "I, uh, I don't really want to..."

"Oh." Pyrrha leaned back, disappointed. She looked down at her plate, all sad.

 _Aaargh! Don't make such a face! You're appealing to my big sister instincts! And you have red hair too, this is the worst!_

"Well… How about this!" Yang grinned, bumping Pyrrha's shoulder in friendly banter. "I'll go do some meditation with you, but you'll have to accompany me to a club in Vale! Get you to relax a bit!"

And see the real you. Find some flaws in your perfect armor!

"W-well…" Pyrrha hesitated, unsure. "I'm not quite sure..."

"We'll go with you!" Nora exclaimed, forcibly raising Ren's hand.

"Only if we also go to their meditation," Ren stated.

"Eeeeh…" Nora scrunched up her nose, unhappy.

Ahah, this guy was taking a page off Pyrrha's book.

Trading parties with meditation to force his partner to practice.

"Come on, Nora!" Yang grinned, offering her a hand. "You win some you lose some. Gotta sacrifice something to get _these two_ to party!"

"You're right, blondie!" Nora grinned widely, grasping Yang's hand as if they were arm wrestling. "But then… then we'll have to get them _drunk_ to make it worthwhile!"

Oooh, Yang liked this girl~!

"Oh dear," Pyrrha giggled awkwardly.

As the leader, she was a bit concerned, and she exchanged a worried glance with Ren, who had visibly paled, and already regretted his decision.

* * *

 **With Weiss**

 _I hate this team…_

Weiss gritted her teeth as she stomped her ways through the corridors.

A child who's done nothing to earn her position,

A gauche who clearly didn't have any previous training or equipment,

And the worst of all, a girl who had apparently decided to hate Weiss just because of her family name!

What a joke! Who made the teams? Ozpin wasn't right in his head! There had to be some kind of mistake!

"Miss Goodwitch!" Weiss called as soon as her eyes spotted the deputy-headmistress.

"Miss Schnee." The professor paused, adjusting her glasses as she looked down at her. "How can I help you?"

Weiss was the heiress of the SDC. Surely they wouldn't mind changing up the teams for her. She could still fix this.

"Well, um… I actually had a couple of questions."

"I am all ears."

"I think…" Weiss took a deep breath. "Is it possible to change the teams?"

"…"

Miss Goodwitch closed her scroll, sighing.

"Every year, someone asks me this question, Miss Schnee. And every year, the answer is the same. The person you have met with in Initiation will be your partner for the next four years, and then the two pairs making up the team are based on the relics you have retrieved."

"But… This doesn't make any sense!

"Ruby did nothing but act like a child all day long! Why did you choose her as a leader, even though I proved to be so much _better_ than her during Initiation? She only killed a few Beowolves, while I faced an army of them.

"And her partner, Arc! How could he be allowed in this school, who is famously known for only accepting the best of the best? No equipment! No weapon! No training. And he broke his bed this morning, as well as the bathroom's door… and my and Pyrrha's locker… He even crashed a Bullhead onto the school! He is too dangerous!

"And… My partner. We don't get on at all! Keeping us in the same team would be highly detrimental. Surely you can't afford to waste all my potential in a team like this?"

Miss Goodwitch raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her rant.

"You forgot someone."

"Pardon?" Weiss frowned.

"Yourself. A girl who has been spending all her life getting what she wants, and who is judging her teammates poorly even though she hasn't known them for longer than a couple of days."

"Th-that's not…!" Weiss hesitated. "T-true…"

"You seem unsure." Miss Goodwitch observed and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing, observing Weiss from above her glasses. "Very well, I will answer your questions regardless.

"First, Miss Rose.

"She may not have killed as many Grimms as you did, but she helped Mr. Arc progress and encouraged him, despite having seen his poor physical abilities first-hand. Are you saying you would have been a better person than her in such a situation? Yet, you are shaming him for his abilities, even though, as he is your teammate, you should be defending him. Miss Rose immediately understood that her partner needed support and encouragements. _That_ is why _she_ was made leader, and _you_ were not, Miss Schnee, despite all your 'private lessons' in leadership."

Weiss reared back, her heart clenching itself under the harsh criticism.

"Then, Mr. Arc." Miss Goodwitch continued mercilessly.

"He is a special case. Normally we would not allow people like him into the school. I will say one thing, however.

"Mr. Arc may be weak physically. But, during Initiation, had it been him facing this ' _army of Grimm_ ' as you said, instead of yourself, Miss Schnee, I guarantee he would have dispatched them faster than you ever could, and walk away uninjured, unlike you.

"Do not underestimate him. He has received both my and Ozpin's recommendation for a good reason. Whether you trust the process, and our judgment, is up to you, but we will not change our decision."

"Arc?" Weiss gaped, unable to wrap her head around the concept of such a gauche being stronger than her. "No way… He would easily get overrun by such a swarm. How could he even hope to survive, when even an exceptional student such as I needed help?"

"How about you ask him, and learn more about him, instead of assuming everything at first glance?" Miss Goodwitch suggested harshly, making Weiss wince embarrassingly.

Weiss looked down, once again mortified. Her? Assuming?

But she was the heiress of the SDC! Of course, people had to prove themselves to her, not the reverse…

…

…Right…?

"I suggest you take a step back and have a good look at yourself, Miss Schnee." Miss Goodwitch advised, "You are on equal grounds with every other student here."

…

 _Could it be that… I'm actually an awful person?_

Weiss' heart clenched itself. She had let the convenience of the Schnee name's power blind her sight. That was so humiliating.

 _I should have realized when I lost my fight against those Grimm. I am weak... and the real world isn't a kind place that is going to bow to my demands._

No wonder Blake was looking down on her. Weiss had been acting like she owned the place...

 _Ugh..._ Weiss started feeling ashamed. She hated herself. Memories of her unreasonable demands at the Schnee manor flashed in her mind, and Weiss suddenly found herself cringing at the memories.

"Your teammates are students just like you, and you will be living with them for the next four years." Miss Goodwitch continued, "Do you want to continue belittling them, or do you want to be the better person and offer your hand to them?"

"That's…"

 _Better_ person?

Weiss perked up at the mention of the word.

Of course, she would be the _better_ person.

She would be the _best_ person! Hah! She was Weiss Schnee after all!

 _But… I still don't feel confident around Blake._ Weiss thought bitterly. _I need to get rid of that feeling._

But how?

"Have I answered your questions, Miss Schnee?" Miss Goodwitch asked.

"W-well… Yes." Weiss blushed embarrassingly. How humiliating, having her flaws analyzed so easily by a teacher. "Th-Thank you for your... honesty."

"You are welcome." Miss Goodwitch said and started walking away. She paused just before leaving the corridor.

"Oh, and Miss Schnee. Make no mistake. Mr. Arc _IS_ a special case, _do not_ compare yourself to him, it would not be fair to either of you.

"Most students would have trouble dealing with so many Grimm at once. For what it's worth, your fight in Initiation impressed me."

"R-really?" Weiss' eyes lit up, her heart warming up.

"Yes. That was quite the display of power and versatility, especially the way you used Gravity Dust." Miss Goodwitch smiled at her. "Don't be too hard on yourself, technically you _are_ still one of our best students. Just be sure to become the best teammate one could ask for, as well."

On these words, Glynda Goodwitch walked away.

"O-one of the best teammate… one could ask for." Weiss repeated, blushing and dreaming of more praises.

If that was really her only flaw… then she was glad she had realized it now. Weiss was going to work hard to overcome it!

 _I can change_. Weiss thought, filled with determination. _I realize it now._ _I was too used to my previous way of life… But I'll become even better!_

"Weiss!" A voice called.

Ruby.

Perfect timing!

"Oh, I finally found you! I searched for you everywhere!" The girl stopped in front of her and panted. "Listen, Weiss! I'm sorry I acted poorly, but I promise, from now on, I'll try my best so you can see me as a proper leader!"

"…Ruby…"

Weiss sighed.

"Thank you. I'll try to be a good teammate, as well." She nodded understandingly. "We are all here to learn."

Ruby gaped at her.

"Huh? That was easier than I thought!" Ruby grinned in relief. "Why are you so kind all of a sudden?"

Weiss took a deep breath, puffing her chest and putting her pride aside.

"I realized I was not the best person I could be. I am trying to change, Ruby, so… you better be appreciative of the new, _better_ me that I am going to become!" Weiss huffed, pointing an angry finger at Ruby.

"Ahaha," Ruby laughed happily, "That's wonderful! I'll try to change too, and be better!"

"Very good." Weiss crossed her arms. "The same goes for the other two!"

"Huh?"

"We are not the only ones who need to change. I may not be perfect, but neither are the rest of you! We all need to adapt! Arc, in particular, needs to study and train! Very badly!"

"U-um… His name is Jaune, you know."

"And I won't stand Blake's attitude anymore, either! We _will_ make her change her views on me!" Weiss continued, ignoring Ruby. "Make her understand that I am not just a family name!"

"But how?" Ruby asked.

"Well…"

Weiss sighed.

"I don't know… Even though I am saying that, I don't feel like I can convince her." Weiss admitted grumpily.

In the end, Weiss' confidence had still been shaken up. Blake was constantly looking down on her, and Weiss couldn't really say anything, since Blake did technically save her life… It was so frustrating!

"How about you just kick her butt?" Ruby suggested.

"Ruby! That's just barbaric. I can't just…" Weiss' voice faded.

Wait… Actually?

Weiss considered the idea.

 _Either I win and I settle the score with her, and she has to listen to me… or I lose and she will look down on me even harder. A risky gambit._

Weiss' expression slowly shifted into a smirk. "I like it…!"

"Huh?"

"I'll get my weapon, and prepare myself! We will engage in a duel!"

"W-wait, Weiss! I was joking! I was joking!"

"You stay out of this, Ruby." Weiss requested. "If I beat her, she'll stop acting so nasty and she'll listen to me!"

 _And I'll get to let off some steam, too._

"I-I'm really not sure _that'_ s how it's going to happen, Weiss! But… I'll cheer for you!"

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

"How was your day, Jaune?"

"The lessons were nice…" Jaune smiled at Miss Goodwitch, "But my team is a bit… upset."

"Yes, I have noticed, Jaune. Do not worry, in time, you will learn to know each other." She stepped aside, holding the door open for him, "Come in."

Jaune stepped in her office, the professor closing the door behind him.

"What about you, madam?" Jaune asked.

"Lots of work as usual." Miss Goodwitch smiled, "I answered some of Miss Schnee's questions as well, a bit earlier."

"A-ah?" Jaune's eyes widened. "Did you tell her…"

"No, I did not tell her about your semblance, Jaune. I only offered some criticism. Sit down here."

Jaune sighed in relief sat down in the middle of the room.

"I, um... I broke some things today..."

"Yes, I've already checked. I've taken care of it." Miss Goodwitch said, "The way your bed broke down and got dismantled without a single crack was quite interesting."

"R-really! You already... Thank you very much." Jaune bowed his head gratefully.

"It is nothing, I am used to it." She waved it away. "More importantly, have you read the books I have given you?" She asked.

"A little…"

"Good. We will not waste time on theory, you will have to read during your own time."

"Okay."

"For you to have the best scholarship possible, and start participating in Combat classes, we're going to need to get your semblance under control first."

"Combat classes?" Jaune frowned.

"Yes, the class I teach. I mostly monitor students sparring with each other until they fall at 15% Aura, and I give them advice and ideas on how to improve themselves after."

"Sparring…?" Jaune hesitated, not liking the idea at all. "But, I thought I only had to kill Grimm…"

Jaune had accepted going to Beacon, but actually, he hadn't really looked into the different disciplines they taught. He had had no idea he would be fighting against other people, that was how ignorant Jaune was of the world of Huntsmen.

"…As a Huntsman, you will have to deal with criminals too," Miss Goodwitch explained, "So you have to practice fighting against other people."

"But that's impossible for me!" Jaune protested. "I can't fight other people, it's too dangerous… for them! Do-"

"Right now, yes." Miss Goodwitch cut him, "Once you have more control over your semblance, however, you _will_ have to spar with your classmates."

"More control…" Jaune mumbled.

…Did Miss Goodwitch really know what she was talking about?

 _More control._ It wasn't that easy! His semblance seemed like it had a mind of its own sometimes, there was no way he could control that.

But… Well, she was the great Miss Goodwitch after all. Let's trust her.

"Okay…" Jaune slowly nodded reluctantly, despite disliking the idea of fighting with his classmates.

Fighting with Jaune was really dangerous. He hoped Miss Goodwitch understood that.

"Do you know how we are going to get it under control?" Miss Goodwitch asked.

"Meditation." Jaune assumed.

"Indeed."

* * *

 **With Miss Goodwitch.**

"Let's focus on being mindful first." Miss Goodwitch began, "Finding that point where you are completely aware of the now."

"..."

"Doing this in the future, you will want to find a time where you will not be disturbed."

"..."

"Whatever thoughts come and go in your mind at the moment, simply observe them, as if from a distance. Now, notice your breathing, especially the still points between your breath."

Jaune started slowing down his breathing.

 _He's a_ _natural._ Glynda realized. _Or..._ _No. He's already breathing perfectly. Not stressing, either. Completely relaxed._

He was already used to it.

"Jaune... Did you try meditating before?" Glynda asked.

"...Yes..." Jaune breathed quietly.

"When?"

"Ever since I turned eight. There was a Huntress... She taught me. I've been doing it regularly."

"...How often...?"

"Once a week. Sometimes twice."

"..."

Glynda's heart sunk.

This often? If he's already been doing it for so long, and his semblance was still so wild, then...

It may be that... his semblance really is uncontrollable...?

No, no. She shouldn't think that way. Perhaps it was Jaune that has been doing it wrong...

"... You will be doing it every day from now on." Miss Goodwitch decided.

"Every day?"

"Yes. On your own time. It doesn't need to be for a long period of time, fifteen minutes are enough."

"O-okay..." Jaune frowned, his eyes still closed.

"Since you have already meditated, I will come up with another training method next week."

"..."

"You will learn how to control your semblance, Jaune. I promise you."

"..."

Jaune stayed quiet.

"..."

From his silence, Glynda couldn't help but feel like he had already given up on their training sessions and lost a bit of his faith in her expertise.

* * *

 **With Blake.**

"…What?"

"I challenge you to a duel!"

Blake sighed and closed her book.

"If you want to get beat up so bad, I suppose I can humor you."

"Wait! This isn't a simple fight." Weiss stopped her, "If I win, you will listen to me, and you will stop judging me by my family name!"

"Yeah, Blake, how could you!" Ruby pouted cutely, "Imagine if you were in Weiss' place! Poor Weiss!" Ruby sniffed and grabbed Weiss in her arms. "It's okay now Weiss!"

"Hmph!" Weiss merely crossed her arms and glared at Blake, ignoring Ruby's hug.

Hmm…? Blake narrowed her eyes as she watched them. These two were a lot closer than before. Did they come to an understanding?

Blake put her book aside, and slowly stood up, dominating the two little girls by her sheer height. "…What if I win?"

"If you win…" Weiss frowned, standing defiantly against her, trying her best to match Blake's height. "U-um…"

"If I win, you will have to change your attitude towards Faunus." Blake declared, leaning forward.

Hearing this, Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Hah!" She laughed. "Very well! It's not like you have a chance anyway!"

"Hah!" Ruby giggled as well, and the two of them exchanged a knowing smirk.

"…"

Blake frowned. What was this? Why were these two snickering like they knew something she didn't? Was there something she was missing?

Well. It didn't matter.

"To the gym's sparring stadium?" Blake assumed, unsheathing Gambol Shroud to check the blade. It was perfectly clean, ready to be used.

"Perfect," Weiss smirked eagerly.

"I'll be the witness of the match!" Ruby declared eagerly, "Ah, and I'll call Jaune over, too!"

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

"Thanks, Miss Goodwitch." Jaune bowed his head once they had finished the meditation.

"Before you go."

Jaune froze, his hand already on the door's handle.

"Y-yes?"

"Jaune… Have you told your team the specifics of your semblance, and how untrained you are?" Miss Goodwitch asked.

"…Er… No… Though I've already broken a few things."

"Tell them."

Jaune's eyes widened. "But, um…"

"It's for their safety." She explained. "All your foster families were informed of your destructive potential. The same is required for your team, with whom you will live for four years."

"W-well, that's true," Jaune admitted.

However… With the current state of the team, he couldn't tell them yet. Not before they solve their different!

"I will give you three days."

"Wh-what?"

"After that, I will have to tell them myself."

"B-but-!"

"That is not negotiable, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch stated. Her eyes were stern, unwavering.

"…Okay…" Jaune eventually accepted.

Miss Goodwtich sure was strict... Jaune had already so many things to do.

"Also… Take this."

She grabbed something on her table and handed it to him.

Jaune frowned. "What's this? This is heavy…"

"It's a ball of pure Atlesian DUSTeel."

Jaune raised the metallic sphere in his hand, examining closely. It was about as large as a big marble. Dusteel? What was that? "This must be precious, right? It's better if I don't have it..."

"It is a catalyst." Miss Goodwitch explained. "If you lose control of your power, take it in your hands, and try to focus your Aura in it."

"Focus my Aura?"

"Something we're going to learn very soon." Miss Goodwitch said. "The catalyst should absorb the destructive power and diffuse it. No matter what, it won't break. It can resist huge destructive forces, as it is made from the hardest material on Remnant."

"Really…" Jaune gaped. "That's amazing. Thanks, Miss Goodwitch!"

"You're welcome. You may leave now."

"See you tomorrow!" Jaune grinned, closed the door and walked away.

"…"

As he walked, Jaune took out the Atlesian Dusteel again, looking at it curiously.

"…"

He made sure to move on some dirt and channeled his semblance.

 _Crack!_

 _Boom!_

The sphere exploded violently.

"Aaaaouch! My hand!" Jaune winced, widening his eyes.

Jaune shook his pained hand, a white halo surging through his arm and making it shine.

Several pieces of the metallic sphere dropped off his hand and scattered on the ground around him.

"..." Jaune paused and stared at the remnants of the so-called Dusteel catalyst.

Th-this! What the heck, this thing didn't work at all!

"Dammit!" Jaune cursed, pouting. "I knew it wouldn't work..."

 _Dzzzt!_

"Hmm? My scroll..."

Jaune had been given a scroll.

He was very careful with it, and basically never touched it unless he really had to.

His semblance interacted weirdly with scrolls. Sometimes, it straight up broke them in two, other times, the scroll just ceased to function.

Jaune raised his scroll and read the message from Ruby.

 _Come to the gym right now, there's an epic fight between Blake and Weiss!_

"Huh..."

* * *

 **Later.**

"The gym... Should be here." Jaune mused, standing in front of a large building.

Stepping forward, Jaune opened the door and entered the building.

The sound of clashing metals and explosions came to his ears.

"J-jaune!" Ruby called him over. "You're late!"

"S-sorry," Jaune apologized, gaping at the stadium. "What... What is this?"

"Weiss and Blake are fighting," Ruby said.

Jaune stared at the two girls dashing at each other and exchanging a flurry of blows with their swords clashing loudly.

"...So fast." Jaune gaped.

"Eh. I can go faster." Ruby boasted.

"Why are they fighting...?"

"They both want the other to change," Ruby explained. "And you know what's funny?"

"No..."

"If Blake wins, she's going to ask Weiss to view Faunus in a better light, something like that."

"That seems good..."

"Except!" Ruby grinned widely, raising her index in the air, "Weiss had already planned to change her ways regardless of the outcome!"

"Huh?" Jaune blinked. "So... Blake is basically fighting for nothing?"

"Yep."

"Pffft." Jaune chuckled along with Ruby, watching the fight.

 _Weiss: 43%_

 _Blake: 32%_

"Weiss is winning..." Jaune smiled, happy for her.

"She's just spamming her dust," Ruby said.

 _Booom!_

A large wave of fire washed all over the stadium. Blake threw her sword like a grapple to the ceiling and maintained herself above the raging fire.

Meanwhile, Weiss made some Glyphs and sent some kind of Aura missiles towards Blake.

Blake started grappling around below the ceiling like Tarzan, twirling her body to dodge the shots mid-air. Sometimes the direction of her momentum suddenly changed direction and left a shadow clone behind her. She was untouchable, and even tried to fire a few shots at Weiss.

It impacted a spherical shield of blue light, which completely protected Weiss.

"Hard-light dust," Ruby mumbled. "Weiss is so good with dust... It's amazing."

Weiss raised her sword, channeling dust once again, making it glow red.

"Again..."

 _Boooom!_

Another torrent of fire emerged of her sword.

Ah! Jaune suddenly understood. These large area-of-effect attacks were a lot harder to dodge for Blake, who usually escaped all the other attacks. That was why Weiss kept repeating the same attack, it was the only thing that was sure to damage Blake.

So if this continued, Blake was probably going to lose.

Which was why, she decided to dash and close in for melee combat.

Weiss flexed her legs, her rapier starting to glow blue.

Blake raised her sword and brought it, seeing the wide opening as Weiss had drawn her sword back.

The attack bounced off the blue shield that Weiss had materialized once again.

As Blake staggered back, this left her wide open to Weiss, who had been preparing her attack.

She dashed and thrust her rapier forward repeatedly, hitting Blake multiple times, before ending the combo with a powerful burst of ice, launching Blake to the other side of the stadium.

She violently impacted against the wall, and dropped down to the ground.

"Oof." Ruby commented.

* * *

 **With Blake.**

"Ugh..." Blake struggled to get up.

A foot stomped on her chest, maintaining her down.

"I win," Weiss panted, her rapier under Blake's chin.

"…Fine." She admitted grumpily, grimacing. "...Tch. It's easy... with so much dust to throw around."

How many dust vials had she used? Ten? This hadn't been a fair fight at all.

"Hmph. About as easy as saving me from _one_ Ursa after watching me take care of all the other Grimm." Weiss groaned and even offered her hand to help Blake stand up. "A win is a win. Now, we are even."

Blake's ears twitched, and she looked away, feeling bad. "Right... Fair point." She accepted her hand. "…Weiss…"

"I know why you did what you did in Initiation, Blake," Weiss said, helping her up. "You believe everything the media, or the White Fang, say about the Schnee family. I am used to such things."

"…" Blake looked away, ashamed.

The memory of the fitful heiress' sleep, having a nightmare, flashed in Blake's mind, as well as Blake's own nightmare.

"You were not completely wrong," Weiss admitted reluctantly. "For example, I am aware that I'm sometimes overly cautious around Faunus. But… I can change my habits!" Weiss pointed an accusatory finger at Blake, "And you could have talked with me, instead of belittling me!"

"..."

Blake had left the White Fang precisely because she didn't like the violence.

And yet, she fell right back into it as soon as she had heard a racist comment coming out of a Schnee's mouth.

The White Fang should be about dialogue. That was what Blake wanted.

So Blake should have talked to Weiss, instead of antagonizing her... What a hypocrite she had been.

"...Yes…" Blake admitted, looking down. "I shouldn't have judged you so harshly. I let my perception of the SDC blind me… and I forgot that you are actually a person who can change. Someone I can talk to and convince. I'm sorry."

Usually, talking to the SDC was like talking to a wall. That company just did not want to change, no matter how many demonstrations and protests the White Fang did.

But Weiss was different.

The heiress smiled victoriously as if Blake fell right into her trap. "I forgive you, Blake!"

"…What?" Blake blinked confusedly, "Just like that?"

"In normal circumstances, I would not tolerate such attitude, but… you did.. save me, in the end." Weiss recognized reluctantly. "And if we are going to be living together for the next four years, then I am willing to let bygones be bygones."

Blake widened her eyes. Who could have known that Weiss Schnee could be so understanding?

As she was learning more about her partner, Blake felt all the more terrible about her previous behavior. Weiss Schnee could be the great change that the SDC needed so much, and yet, Blake had let her past White Fang activities blind her.

Truly, she was ashamed. Maybe Adam had had more influence on her than she realized?

No… Blake shook her head. Adam was not here to mess with her head. This was her fault entirely.

"I know!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly, appearing between them. "Let's forget it all!"

"Forget?" Jaune had followed her.

"Yeah! Let's forget we know each other…" Ruby suggested with a wise nod, "And let's pretend we meet for the first time!"

"Hmm. Now that you mention it, we never did properly present ourselves to each other." Weiss mused.

"Right? We must do these things properly!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "But first, let's go back to the dorms so you two get a shower!" Ruby giggled happily. "You're covered in sweat!"

"Wh-what? It's natural!" Weiss flushed as if she'd been insulted.

* * *

 **Later, at the dorms.**

"Now that everyone is clean!" Ruby proclaimed to the three of them, who were sat in a circle. "Let the new introductions...BEGIN! Who's first?"

"I shall begin," Weiss smirked proudly.

"My name is Weiss Schnee, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. I am an expert at swordsmanship using a rapier, and I am proficient with various dust types. I enjoy studying and yearn to better myself, in order to succeed to my father and change the reputation of the Schnee name for the better."

"Okay! But we need other stuff!" Ruby stated. And the little girl was actually taking notes! How cute. "Favorite food!" Ruby asked.

"Um… Parfait au chocolat." Weiss answered, with a guilty blush. "I also enjoy a few sepcial brands of coffee…"

"Hobbies!"

"Enjoying classical music and visiting art museums. I also used to sing and play the piano."

"Something you dislike, now!"

"I dislike... entitled people who think they know me based on reputation alone," Weiss smirked, causing Blake to cough awkwardly.

Oh god... This was going to stick to her, Blake just knew it.

"Um… What about your Semblance!" Ruby questioned, which made Jaune gulp apprehensively for some reason.

"I can summon a variety of Glyphs," Weiss answered. "The effects of said Glyphs depend on my state of mind and the dust I use."

"…Er… Well, I guess that's enough for now!" Ruby nodded, finishing her notes and starting a new page. "Thank you for going first, Weiss! Next! Blake!"

Blake's ears twitched. It was her turn, huh...

All right...

Okay... Let's do this.

"My name is Blake Belladonna. And… I am…"

Blake reached to her hair and unfolded her bow.

"…A Faunus." She revealed.

"Oooooh!" Ruby and Jaune gaped at her cat ears, making her blush in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Weiss had widened her eyes in surprise. "That makes sense..." She mumbled under her breath.

"I want to become a Huntress to make a difference in the world," Blake continued, trying to sound confident under the stares of the three humans. "As I believe there are too much wrong and injustice at work in the world."

Without her bow, she felt completely nude now, for some reason. She felt vulnerable.

She forced herself to continue talking, fidgetting awkwardly.

"For food… I like tuna.

"As for hobbies… I enjoy reading good literature.

"Something I hate… That would be racism and injustice in general."

"Ironic," Weiss commented bitterly, making Blake wince. "Sorry… Please continue."

"Finally, my semblance is creating shadow clones. I can use dust to enhance their effects."

"I usually hide my bow, to keep my Faunus heritage a secret, as I believe the society in Vale is much too discriminatory of my kind," Blake explained and put her bow back on her ears.

"Stop," Weiss demanded, making Blake freeze like a cat caught red-handed.

"What? I need to hide my identity." Blake frowned.

"Hide? Do _I_ hide my identity?" Weiss replied.

"That's not the same thing-"

"No." Weiss shook her head, "I know it must not be easy to be a Faunus, but I also experience my fair share of discrimination, just because I am famous for being the SDC heiress."

"But-"

"No buts! _You_ started this!" Weiss snapped, making Blake shrink on herself. "If we want to start over, we have to be honest with ourselves! And I, for one, believe that a Schnee and a Faunus becoming partners would send a wonderful message to the world!"

"But people will talk…" Blake pointed out. She couldn't help but be uncomfortable at the idea. "The humans that were on your side, Weiss, will now hate you for having a Faunus as a friend. The Faunus that were on my side, as well, will now hate me for having a Schnee as a partner. And what about your family? We will have twice more enemies!"

"Or twice more friends!" Ruby replied vehemently.

"And if people disagree, then we will just face them," Weiss stated. "We will tell them off!"

"And stand strong and united!" Ruby added. "We will be the best, most awesome team! Right, Jaune?"

"…"

Jaune shifted awkwardly under the three girls' stares. "Right... Um... I-it would be a shame to hide these cat ears..."

"E-eh?" Ruby gasped, blushing. "What the... That's not the point you goof!"

"Who do you think you are, you playboy!" Weiss slapped his arm, making Jaune turn into a stuttering mess.

The scene made Blake laugh.

It just came out of her mouth, very naturally.

The three turned their eyes on her, and Blake immediately regretted letting herself laugh, as Weiss' expression turned even more victorious.

"Well, Blake? Are you going to leave me alone in the spotlight?" Weiss grinned, offering her hand. "Or are you going to step up, stop hiding, and stand beside me?"

Blake closed her eyes, a little smile gracing her face.

Blake realized it now. Weiss was an incredibly strong young woman, with unparalleled courage.

Now, Blake felt a surge of admiration towards this rich girl who she had once despised. Now, that rich girl was inspiring her to leave the darkness, and step up into the light.

 _Still… For now, I'll keep my terrible past as a member of the White Fang a secret. For both our sakes._

 _But… This partnership, coming from Weiss Schnee…?_

 _This is something I want to believe in._

"…"

With a conscious effort of willpower, Blake dropped her bow, her cat-ears twitching shyly.

She still felt exposed, her heart heavy and apprehensive, but...

"Weiss… You're amazing." Blake smiled and shook Weiss' hand, a little emotional.

"I know," Weiss smirked arrogantly, very satisfied at herself.

"Awww!" Ruby teared up. "I want a hug! Can I have a hug?"

" _No_." Weiss replied coldly.

"Don't care!" Ruby jumped on them and hugged them both anyway.

"Ugh! Ruby, get off! Don't touch me!" Weiss protested.

"Nope!" Ruby grinned. "As the leader of this team, I have to give you all lots of love!"

"That's not what a leader does!"

"It is!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Meanwhile, Blake laughed at the banter.

It felt like her heart had been relieved of an immense burden.

Now that she was free of hatred, and Weiss Schnee had offered her a hand, it was like a whole new world had opened up in front of her. Blake was grateful.

It was a new perspective. Was this going to work out? If Blake had refused Weiss' offer, she knew, that she would have thought about it all the time, wondering if she had made the wrong decision.

So Blake would try it. And keep moving forward without any regrets, having tried everything she could.

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

 _I knew it._ Jaune thought as he observed the black-haired girl smiling genuinely. _Blake really is a kind person._

Jaune was relieved that the conflict between Blake and Weiss had been resolved already.

This kind of situation, you needed to deal with it quickly, otherwise, it could have escalated into a toxic relationship where neither of them could forgive the other.

"O-okay! Next! Is…" Ruby turned to Jaune, who gulped. "Me!"

Phew. Not Jaune's turn yet.

"My name is Ruby Rose! I want to be a Huntress cause I want to help people! And cause I want to fight monsters, and it's so romantic and epic and everything!

"I love cookies and milk and strawberries!

"My semblance is bursting into red petals super fast!

"And my hobbies are playing games, designing weapons, and maintaining my scythe Crescent Rose! Ah, I also read some Shojo Manga sometimes!"

"Your dislikes?" Weiss asked.

"Grimm, of course!" Ruby proclaimed, raising her fist. "We need to kill them all!"

D-damn.

"What else, other than Grimm?" Blake asked.

"Something not related to being a Huntress," Jaune suggested.

"Eh? Er..." Ruby scratched her head for a moment. "I guess... I don't like crowds too much... parties..." She grimaced awkwardly, "Where I am forced to interact and be social with new people that I've never met."

"M-me too!" Jaune gaped. "I never liked them! Every time, it feels like people are just showing off. Or it feels like... Like I'm taking some kind of-"

"-some kind of exam!" Ruby finished his sentence for him.

"Exactly!" Jaune nodded. "Like my social skills are being examined... Or-"

"Or judged and compared to other people!" Ruby finished his sentence again.

"Yes! W-wow, you really get it...!" Jaune gaped at her.

"Well, yeah! I'm socially awkward too, you know!" Ruby grinned widely and raised her hand, "Now we can be awkward together!"

Jaune laughed and gave her a high-five. Finally, someone who _gets_ it!

"Or maybe you can _cease_ to be awkward. Both of you." Weiss suggested.

Jaune and Ruby stared at her, before glancing at each other.

They grinned.

"Nah!"

"Nah!"

"...Oh my god." Weiss sighed. "Blake... We'll have to whip these two into shape, make them grow out of their shell. We cannot have a leader that can't interact with strangers properly."

"E-eh?" Ruby gasped.

"I suppose we'll have to." Blake smiled.

"J-jaune!" Ruby suddenly grabbed onto him.

"G-gah?!" Jaune could only freeze at the sudden contact.

"Help me, Jaune! We must protect our social awkwardness from these two socially able girls!"

"Absolutely not." Weiss cut in before Jaune could say anything. "You _will_ have to change just like us! In fact, it's your turn," She said, pointing a finger at Jaune. "So hurry up and give us a good, organized presentation."

"In fifty words or less," Blake added with a teasing smile.

"Wh-what?" Jaune blinked confusedly.

"Bah, don't listen to them, Jaune! They're trolling us." Ruby winked. "Just wing it, don't worry about it!"

"R-right..." Jaune nodded hesitantly.

Crap, it was already his turn, huh... He had seen it coming from a mile away, but still.

He didn't like talking about himself. It made him too nervous.

But after the what Weiss and Blake had gone through… They had both come to an agreement, by putting their respective views aside. It was something Jaune could admire.

Hence, how could he back out now?

It was the perfect opportunity, all things considered.

"…Okay. My... My name is Jaune Arc.

"I am completely untrained. I didn't go to combat school or anything. Physically, I am… weaker… than your average civilian."

A heavy silence fell on the room.

No one was surprised by that statement, Jaune realized.

They had all seen through him.

Was it really that obvious? His heart sunk in his chest.

"My body is weak. I don't even know basic self-defense. I am not particularly smart either… and I don't have a weapon.

"Yet… Miss Goodwitch and Ozpin invited me into Beacon."

Jaune paused.

He hesitated.

Did he really want to do this?

If he told them, they were going to instantly hate him, right?

' _You have three days. After that, I will tell them myself.'_

Crap. Jaune had no choice.

"Why?" Weiss asked as the silence stretched, eager to know. "Why did they invite you into Beacon?"

"Tell us, Jaune." Blake nodded, curious. "We're not going to judge."

"B-because…"

Crap. Why couldn't the words come out of his mouth?

Something grabbed his hand.

It was Ruby. She had grabbed his hand.

"Because…"

"Becauuuuse…?" Ruby repeated patiently.

"Because… of… Because of my _semblance_!" Jaune raised his voice all of a sudden.

"Because of this semblance that breaks everything I touch!

"Every single day I break something! It's so exhausting!

"Like a curse following me like the plague, destroying my surroundings, everywhere I go!

"I can't even hold anything without being scared that I break it!"

…

...

...

Jaune had snapped.

He continued to talk and talk and talk.

He couldn't stop! He didn't know why.

His lips kept moving on their own, the words flowing out like a river having broken a dam.

He kept talking about his whole life, all of a sudden, vomiting the story of his life all at once.

It was like his heart was spewing some toxic pus.

Painful. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't stop. Something was being released out of his soul.

As he kept talking, Jaune wondered if all this time, he had just wanted someone to hear this.

Just someone, to listen to his complaints.

Like that white-cloaked Huntress did so many years ago. That time seemed so far-off now.

Was it something that easy, he wondered?

"…"

While his three teammates had looked a little surprised at his outburst at first, now they listened quietly.

Not cutting in to express agreement, just… silently listening.

"…"

Once Jaune finished talking about his semblance and his story, he was slightly panting.

 _Aaah, it's done, it's done._

 _There's no going back now._

Jaune leaned against the wall, suddenly exhausted. His body felt drained.

"…What about your hobbies?" Ruby asked innocently.

"Huh?"

"Your hobbies, dummy! You forgot your hobbies."

"And your favorite food," Blake added.

"And your dislikes." Weiss nodded along.

This… Did they not care?

No, they had clearly been listening…

"…" Jaune opened his mouth, only for him to close it, not trusting his voice.

"…Well? Tell us!" Ruby demanded.

"I-I…" Jaune gulped. "B-but…"

"Your hobbies, Jaune," Ruby repeated patiently.

"Ho…Hobbies…?" Jaune repeated slowly, trying to wrap his mind on the situation.

Huh?

Hobbies? Who cared about his hobbies? Jaune had no hobbies.

Rather, aren't you going to be angry to have such a useless teammate or something?

"No? What about your favorite food?" Ruby asked.

"…Favorite...Er… Milk." Jaune managed to say quietly.

"And your dislikes?" Blake asked.

"Um… Breaking things I don't own, and... bullies." He mumbled.

"There you go." Weiss nodded approvingly.

"That wasn't so hard, now, was it!" Ruby grinned at him.

Jaune took a moment to stare at the innocent, cute Ruby.

What was this girl talking about? This had been the hardest thing Jaune had ever done in his life…

"Now, let's do another team hug!" Ruby declared, opening her arms wide.

"No way, Ruby!" Weiss immediately dodged her. "We already did one."

"You didn't hug back, so it doesn't count!"

"…"

 _So they are okay with it..._

Jaune stared at Ruby chasing after Weiss until Blake eventually trapped the heiress in her arms.

"B-Blaaake! Y-you! I knew it, you're not...on my... side...!"

"This is for your own good, Weiss," Blake replied.

"N-noo, hyaaaaaa!" Weiss screamed as she was getting immobilized.

"Now, come here, Jaune! Quick!" Ruby called, struggling against the heiress who was trying to get free from their arms. "Jaune! Jaune?"

"..."

 _This is nice..._

The scene was warming Jaune's heart.

However, he didn't let himself hope too much.

This nice, deceiving scene, he had seen it multiple times, with his many foster families.

It was nice and cheery like that at first. It never lasted very long, though.

"…"

Carefully, Jaune allowed himself to smile and moved closer to them.

 _I wonder… I hope this time, it lasts more than five months._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading.**

 **Please note that I am originally French, so there's always going to be some mistakes here and there.**

 **Also, I realize I should ' _show and not tell_ ' but that's exactly what I suck at. It just feels more natural for me to write this way, even though it's not subtle at all. Anyway, I'm not gonna let myself get too worked up about it.**

 **See you next time.**


	5. Daily Life at Beacon I

**Here we go again.**

* * *

Days passed peacefully at Beacon for team Rainbow.

And Jaune got into a new routine.

For example, every morning, he would wake up early and go training.

It was the typical training schedule he had prepared: running, push-ups, sit-ups, squats. All the basic stuff.

He had to start from the very beginning before even trying to touch fancy stuff like getting a weapon, or learning martial arts.

Needless to say, the first time he woke up this early had upset his team.

* * *

 _Didididididi…_

"Uuuugh!"

"Grmbl..?"

"Gah…! An alarm…?" A voice complained in the darkness. "Make it stoooop!"

"Sorry!" Jaune gasped in panic and hurriedly muted his scroll.

"Gaaaah…" He heard Ruby groaned and popped her head out of her bed. "Jauuuune… Why are you waking up so earlyyyyy…"

"I'll be quiet. You can continue to sleep." Jaune smiled, grabbed her sheets and covered her head.

"Where are you going?" Blake whispered quietly in the darkness as he passed by her bed.

Jaune felt a chill run down his back, as he spotted two golden cat eyes watch him in the darkness, annoyed.

"I'm going to run," Jaune said. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

And so Jaune started to run every morning.

He couldn't last very long, but he really needed to improve his stamina.

It was tough, waking up every morning and struggling to find the willpower to go running.

After a few days, though…

* * *

"I'll go with you."

"Huh, what?" Jaune blinked at Weiss who had gotten out of bed at the same time as him.

"Last time, the Grimm got the better of me because I ran out of stamina…" Weiss declared with a determined expression on her face. "I couldn't even stand on my legs. So I need to train my body more. And I might as well go run with you."

"Oh, okay," Jaune nodded politely, even though he would have preferred to go run alone.

Now, Weiss was going to see his pathetic side that runs out of breath in two minutes, so he wasn't looking forward to it.

They were quick to prepare themselves and headed outside.

"So, um…" Jaune hesitated, not sure what to do. "I usually do laps around the campus…"

"Let's do that." Weiss nodded and grabbed her scroll. "I'll time it."

Jaune nodded and did the same with his. He hadn't thought of timing himself before, but it would be useful to keep track of his progress and try to improve a little more every day.

"All right. Ready? Let's go!" Weiss exclaimed, and they started running.

Weiss quickly distanced herself from him. She was way faster.

Crap… This was demoralizing. Jaune really would have preferred to run alone.

…

…

"Haa… Haa…"

Jaune eventually finished his first lap.

Yay!

"Keep up the pace, Jaune!" Weiss panted and passed by him.

"…Haa…" Jaune continued to run, watching her distance herself from him.

So she did two laps in the time it took him to make one, huh.

And she looked like she could maintain that speed, too…

"Grraaah!" Jaune gave a little shout of frustration and carried on.

…

…

"Haaa… Haaaa… Haaaaa…!"

His second lap!

Yes!

"You should take a break, Jaune! You don't look so good!" Weiss called as she passed by him again.

For the fifth time.

So she did two laps in the time it took him to do his first one, and then four laps in the time it took him to finish another one.

Which meant, Jaune had slowed down his pace by half the speed without him noticing.

And Weiss didn't look very exhausted…

"Grrr…" Jaune growled, panting.

 _I'll show her. I will continue to run!_

"Haaa… Haaa!" Jaune forced his legs to move again.

One more lap!

Come on, body! You need some work!

"Haa…"

Jaune continued to push on his legs, his heart hammering in his chest.

He started feeling his brain pulsating heavily, drops of sweat rolling down his face.

"Haaa…"

His head was hurting… His heart seemed like it was going to burst out of his chest.

The world around him started to waver. The edges of his vision were slowly disappearing...

"Haaa… Haa…"

Come… on…

Just… one more… lap…

"Haa…!"

…

Jaune stumbled.

The ground rapidly closed in on his face.

Everything went black.

* * *

Jaune opened his eyes.

His body ached. He felt exhausted.

"You've _got_ to be _kidding_ me!" He heard Weiss' voice.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Schnee." Another voice he didn't know replied.

"Uuugh!" She growled in annoyance and glanced at him.

Jaune hurriedly closed his eyes again and faked sleeping, not wanting to face her.

"Hey! He's awake!" Jaune heard angry footsteps approach his bed, "Jaune, I know you're awake, don't pretend to be asleep!"

She slapped his face ruthlessly.

"A-aouch!" Jaune winced in pain and opened his eyes. "That hurts! D-don't do that!"

"Then don't take me for an idiot!" She replied, annoyed. "Don't laze around pretending to be asleep!"

"S-sorry… Um…" Jaune sat up in his bed. "What… What happened?"

"You _fainted_ , you dunce!"

"Oh." Jaune blinked, not really surprised.

It was not unusual for him to faint.

His body was weak. This was not an understatement, Jaune had always been below average despite trying his best.

"Yes, you suffered from Anemia." The nurse nodded, reading a paper sheet. "Don't push yourself too much, Mr. Arc. I have your medical file here. Please remember to not overwork your body."

Anemia, huh...

"But if I don't push myself, I'm never going to grow stronger…" Jaune complained.

"You can push yourself, with moderation." The nurse replied patiently. "Also, you should eat a lot more if you want to strengthen your muscles. Especially meat, and other food rich in iron… to fight Anemia. Understood?"

"Yeah." Jaune sighed. This was just the usual talk for him.

He had started training but didn't adapt his diet in consequence. He should have eaten a little something before going to run.

"…I'm not sure you understand, Mr. Arc…" The nurse's eyes narrowed. "It is very important that you follow a good diet when training your body. Miss Schnee, would you please make sure that he eats enough?"

"What?! No!" She grimaced. "I'm his teammate, not his mother!"

"…Of course." The nurse nodded, wincing at the sharp voice of the heiress. "Then I will message the details to your team leader."

"W-wait!" Jaune gasped in panic as Weiss snickered behind the nurse. "Please don't! I swear I'll eat properly!"

"Regardless, team leaders have to be aware of such things." The nurse insisted. "There. I have sent her a message."

"N-noo…!"

Knowing her, Ruby was going to be on his back at every meal...

"For today... take this." The nurse said and handed him a pill.

"…" Jaune took the medication, making sure to show his discontentment by grimacing and sulking.

"If you hadn't pushed yourself so hard to the point of… _fainting_ ," Weiss accentuated the word, "You wouldn't be here, to begin with!"

"Haa…" Jaune sighed, leaning back into the nursing bed.

She was right, of course… Jaune had been aware that his body was weak, yet he had still tried to push it further. This was because he had seen how Weiss easily outclassed him in stamina, so Jaune had wanted to improve himself.

Jaune had brought this upon himself.

* * *

"Come on, Jaune." Ruby demanded, "You've got to eat lots of meat to grow strong!"

"Yeahhh…" Jaune groaned, his mouth full of bacon.

As expected, Ruby had started taking care of his diet.

Unfortunately, she seemed to take this very seriously. How embarrassing, having a girl two years younger check his diet. All because she wanted to be a great leader, she was doing such unnecessary things.

"Y-you don't have to always remind me, I can do it myself, you know." Jaune groaned, still sulking.

"Yeah, but as the team leader, I have to closely monitor my precious teammates!" Ruby grinned.

"P-precious…?" Jaune repeated, blushing. "W-well... okay…" He reluctantly accepted.

"And by the way, from now on, we're all going to exercise in the morning!" Ruby declared. "We'll make it a team building exercise! It will do us good in the long run!"

"Good idea." Weiss approved.

"Great." Blake sighed but didn't really protest.

And so, team Rainbow started waking up early every morning to go run with Jaune.

Naturally, Jaune was able to witness that Weiss actually had very bad stamina compared to Blake and Ruby, who were able to maintain a rapid pace for more than twenty laps.

…Yet the tired Weiss was still able to last a lot longer than Jaune, and ran way faster…

Jaune really had a long way to go.

* * *

After their morning physical training, team Rainbow would prepare for their lessons and take their breakfast at the cafeteria with team Pyrene.

There, they started seeing the effects of Blake revealing her cat ears and assuming her Faunus heritage as her own.

 _Negative_ effects.

"Out of my way, kitty."

Cardin Winchester ruthlessly pushed her and made her splatter her plate.

Not just him, but some other people started treating Blake more coldly.

A member of the staff gave her a smaller share of food on her plate, for example.

"Hey, you. I've seen how you treat my partner. I'll talk to the headmaster if you don't behave properly."

"S-sorry, Miss Schnee!"

Weiss started giving some scary glares left and right, threatening Beacon's staff and calling out the discrimination.

All of that was done behind Blake's back, obviously, since she was a proud person.

"And you, Winchester. If you don't look where you're going I'll make sure to-"

"To what?" Cardin smirked at Weiss. "What are you gonna do? Hm? Break the school rules?"

"That's..." Weiss hesitated, "W-well..."

"No, you won't do it." Cardin chuckled. "Because you're too busy being little Miss Perfect."

"..."

Weiss gritted her teeth as she watched Cardin laugh with his friends and walk away.

 _Welcome to the real world, Weiss. What did you think would happen, confronting him like this?_

Jaune could tell this was her first time dealing with such problems. She was very inexperienced.

"What's wrong, Weiss?" Blake asked.

"N-nothing!" Weiss smiled innocently at her partner.

"...Jerk." Ruby mumbled under her breath, glaring at Cardin's back.

"…Here, Blake…" Jaune whispered and pushed his plate towards her while Ruby wasn't looking, "You can have my part… I can't eat anymore."

"I don't want to take your rests." Blake hissed back at him.

A _really_ proud person, Blake was.

But everything wasn't so bad. There were also some positive reactions.

"Those are some cute ears!" Yang praised.

"Look at how they're twitching!" Nora gushed.

"They have their own charm." Pyrrha recognized.

"It must have taken a lot of courage to reveal them." Ren nodded. "That's admirable."

"Thank you, thank you." Weiss smiled satisfyingly as if she was the one being praised. "It definitely took a bit of convincing."

When complimented like that, Blake would just blush, give a glare and pout.

It was kinda cute, a side of her that they hadn't seen before, as she was usually the more mysterious, cool beauty type.

It seemed she really did feel more vulnerable without her bow… It was upsetting that she felt this way.

"We should really keep supporting her," Ruby whispered to him. "We must help her feel welcome in the team!"

"Yeah." Jaune nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

* * *

After breakfast, typically, came lessons.

The only discipline Jaune didn't completely suck at was History.

And even then, he was still barely average.

Jaune tried his best to read during his own time, but he was a slow reader. And between his morning training, his normal classes, his extra lessons with Miss Goodwitch, and his meditation, he barely had any time to spend on his own.

The professor of History, ' _doctor_ ' Oobleck, talked very fast. It was basically impossible for Jaune to take decent notes, as he was too slow to write.

But Ruby saved him and let him copy her notes, so he was able to manage.

As long as Jaune didn't rip up her notes, that was.

Jaune was too scared to even touch her notes!

His semblance continued to break things randomly, naturally. Pens, chairs, cutlery, bed. His own notes, too, which meant he had to rewrite them all over again. It was frustrating, but Jaune was used to it.

He even broke the shower one time, resulting in a water leak that flooded the dorm - Weiss had not been happy that day.

There was one class, however, where Jaune didn't break a single thing.

Ironically, it was Combat class.

That class was very weird for Jaune.

Because he didn't fight.

He just watched.

"What?" Cardin would growl. "This wimp doesn't even want to fight?" He turned to Jaune, "Come fight me!"

"N-no, thanks," Jaune answered uncomfortably, scared of hurting the guy. "I'll, um, I'll watch you from here."

"Professor! What is going on with him?" Cardin asked, pointing a finger at Jaune. "Why is he spared from combat lessons?"

"He is a special student. It is too dangerous to let him fight." Miss Goodwitch answered. "I would advise not to get into any fight with him, as he has very limited control over his semblance. Consider yourself warned."

 _Limited control? More like no control whatsoever._ Jaune scoffed.

Their classmates started muttering between themselves, throwing him glances, which made him uncomfortable.

"Hah..." Jaune heard Cardin grumble to his friends, "Looks like he even has the professor on his side. Talk about pulling strings. I'm sure anyone could easily beat him...!"

"Quiet, please!" Miss Goodwitch raised her voice with authority and narrowed her eyes at the crowd. "Now, who would like to fight against Mister Winchester?"

"Me," Blake growled ominously as she raised her hand.

"Then come down on the stage," Miss Goodwitch ordered.

...

…

What followed was one of the most brutal fights Jaune ever witnessed.

Not that Jaune had seen many fights. But still.

Basically, Blake completely wiped the floor with the guy.

As Blake was a master in the art of dodging, and Cardin's weapon and armor were heavy, which was rendering his attacks slow, Cardin did not even manage to land a single hit on Blake.

Honestly, she looked really scary during that fight. It almost looked like she was used to beating up entitled guys like Cardin.

"U-ugh… Lucky shot." Cardin growled and fell unconscious, his body dropping to the ground.

"Very good, Miss Belladonna." Miss Goodwitch nodded and levitated Cardin's body back onto his seat as Blake walked back to hers, completely unscathed.

She didn't even break a sweat…

 _It must be nice, to be able to fight people so easily like that without the risk of breaking their bones…_

"Nice fight, Blake!" Ruby praised.

"As expected of my partner." Weiss smiled.

"Didn't you go too hard on him?" Jaune wondered, worried.

"…"

The three of them stared at him disapprovingly.

"You're too kind, Jaune." Blake shook her head.

"Definitely too kind." Ruby nodded. "He deserved it, that jerk!"

"Someday, someone is going to take advantage of it," Weiss warned him.

"N-no, I'm not too kind… I-I just thought, that was a bit unnecessary to beat him up so bad…" Jaune mumbled. "Like... I don't think that kind of attitude will change his views, Blake."

"Hmm…" Blake hummed contemplatively.

* * *

 **Later.**

Though Jaune said that, they could all observe the effects afterward.

"It worked!" Ruby cheered as Cardin avoided their table and went to pull on some rabbit Faunus' ears.

"Indeed. Winchester stopped bothering you, Blake." Weiss smiled.

"Yeah…" Blake nodded hesitantly, watching Cardin from the corner of her eyes. "But… out of fear, not out of respect." She sighed, shaking her head, "He just moved on to another target, this changed nothing." She scoffed. She looked regretful, as if disappointed in herself. "I did it again…"

"Hey." Weiss patted her arm. "You didn't do anything wrong. You just sparred with a classmate." Weiss smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah! A bossy classmate." Ruby nodded along. "It's fine! You just defended yourself. It's not your fault that he's still being a jerk to someone else after that. Right, Jaune?"

"Hmm, I don't know." Jaune mused absently, observing Cardin who was laughing cruelly at the poor rabbit Faunus. "He might be doing it out of spite, as a way to get revenge on Blake, you kno-"

Ruby elbowed him in the stomach.

"A-aouch! E-er...!" Jaune tried to recover, "I-I mean, yeah, it's not your fault, Blake!"

"..."

Blake's ears flattened on her head, her mouth pouting, a sad expression on her face.

Ruby and Weiss sent him a glare, as if to say ' _Way to go, Jaune. You just had to ruin the mood._ '.

But... Jaune was right, though! Answering hatred with hatred only fed the vicious, never-ending cycle of hatred.

However, seeing Blake picking at her food in a frustrated way, Jaune realized that perhaps, he should have shut his stupid mouth.

 _Haa... I'm an idiot._

* * *

The routine continued, days passing.

Jaune was able to get to know team Pyrene.

Nora and Ren were both very different. One was loud and wearing her feelings on her sleeve, while the other was quiet and unreadable.

However, even though they were very different, they were both very kind.

"What's this I hear? You guys have a morning training schedule? If you need a coach, I'm available!" Nora grinned, proudly pointing her thumb at herself. "I _looove_ that stuff!"

The girl offered to coach them. If it had been Jaune alone, he would have immediately accepted and be grateful. However, since the proud Weiss and Blake were in his team, they had to politely refuse.

It might have been because Ren was shaking his head at them from behind Nora, as if warning them from some danger.

"I heard you had Anemia?" Ren suddenly asked Jaune. "Here, I made a drink out of several plants rich in iron, vitamins and proteins." He handed him a cup of some weird drink, "If you take this before your training you'll be less likely to faint, and you won't have to eat as much to gain strength."

"O-oooh… Thank you…" Jaune took the cup and bowed his head to Ren, a bit embarrassed but still grateful. "Um… If you need something from me, you can ask, I'll try to help you the best I can!"

"Hmm." Ren merely hummed back to him. "My brews are always efficient." He turned to the three others. "I recommend everyone use it. I know quite a large variety of plants."

The others politely refused, for some reason. How strange.

It might have been because Nora was shaking her head at them from behind Ren, as if warning them from some danger.

What did she mean? Jaune frowned and sniffed the drink. This mixture was-

"Buaaargh!" Jaune grimaced, his face turning green. This thing was _poison_! "A-are you sure this is good for the body?!"

"The worse a medicine tastes, the more efficient it is," Ren replied wisely.

"...Are you sure about that?" Jaune asked worriedly while Ruby took a sniff at the mixture.

She started trembling in disgust, a horrified expression on her face. "Don't drink that, Jaune! As your diet advisor, I forbid it!"

"Y-yes, sir!" Jaune gratefully obeyed and pushed the drink away.

Yang picked it up and sniffed it curiously. "Bwah! This smells worse than the trashiest cocktails I've tried," Yang grimaced.

"Thank you!" Nora slapped the table victoriously. "Finally! Tell him, my dear friends, shatter his delusions!"

"These are not delusions. And it's also a thousand times healthier than the healthiest of your cocktails, Yang," Ren stated, frustrated, causing Yang to bark a laugh. "What about you, Pyrrha?"

"Thank you, but I prefer to balance my diet with regular food." Pyrrha refused.

"..."

"There, there." Nora sighed softly and patted Ren's shoulder, sympathetic. "The tables have spoken. It's time to face reality!"

"In time your bodies will protest," Ren warned ominously. "And then, you will regret not trying my divine mixture."

"Bah. We have Aura." Yang pointed out. "Why would our bodies protest?"

"The greatest warriors can be defeated by the most common sickness," Ren replied wisely.

Why did everything this guy said sounded like a legendary quote? So cool.

Hm? Wait a second...

"Yo-you mean... Aura protects the body from things like... a bad diet?" Jaune asked, frowning. "It strengthens the body?"

"Yes." Pyrrha nodded, "Aura enhances physical attributes like strength, stamina, and boosts one's vitality."

"Really?"

Hm?

What? But... Jaune's body was super weak, and he even had problems like anemia.

Wasn't his Aura supposed to take care of that kind of thing?

Eh? Something was wrong there.

"No, um, it can't be right...!" Jaune protested weakly. "I-I've had Aura for as long as I can remember, and my body never strengthened up like that."

"Really?" Pyrrha raised her eyebrows, surprised. "That's very unusual..."

"Sucks to be you, I guess," Yang commented.

"Maybe your body was supposed to be even weaker?" Weiss suggested bluntly. "And it actually grew a little bit stronger?"

"Yikes." Yang grimaced.

"..."

Jaune stared at the palm of his hand, suddenly very worried.

Was his Aura dysfunctional or something? Why wasn't it doing its job? He'd been properly meditating, too.

He would have to do some research about that.

 _Crack!_

"Ah." Jaune blinked as the spoon he held in his other hand twisted around itself.

"Here. Let me fix that." Pyrrha grabbed his spoon and restored it to its previous shape.

"Thanks, Pyrrha…" Jaune grinned.

"That's so cool!" Ruby gushed.

"You're welcome." Pyrrha smiled back.

Jaune also became friendly with Pyrrha, who was very polite, kind and helpful.

However, they couldn't really hold a long conversation together for some reason.

If Jaune had to take a guess as to why, it would be that Pyrrha was a shy person just like him. There was an awkward atmosphere between them.

Yet, between shy people, Jaune felt like there was a certain sense of camaraderie.

...

And then, there was Yang.

The opposite of a shy person. The embodiment of confidence.

Yang…

 _Haaa, Yang. What did I ever do to you?_

Yang didn't like him, that much was clear to Jaune.

He had no idea why.

He tried to make friends with her.

He did!

But…

"Your hair smells great today, Yang!" Jaune had praised, putting on his best smile.

"…Ew, you creep." She had grimaced. "Go away."

UuUUuuUuUuurgh!

A shot right through the heart!

For Jaune who was a teenager, getting labeled as a creep by a girl his age was depressing, humiliating!

Jaune wasn't a creep…

Right?

Actually, now that he thought about it, he was a bit of a creep, wasn't he?

"That _was_ kinda creepy," Weiss commented once they had left team Pyrene, confirming his worse fears.

"..." Jaune looked down, ashamed. Now he was labeled as the creepy guy of the group...!

"What's so creepy about it?" Ruby crossed her arms, defending him. "He was trying to compliment her! Yang is just being a jerk cause Jaune is my friend and she's mindful of that!"

"I-is that so?" Jaune asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Definitely! She's just worrying for nothing and being over-protective of me." Ruby assured. "She's got nothing against you, Jaune!"

"But she never mentioned you, though…" Jaune hesitated. "Um, I'm not too sure…"

"To be brutally honest, Jaune…" Weiss cut in, "Any normal person who doesn't know your story and struggles would label you as weird, strange, or even creepy."

Jaune winced again. The cold, hard truth was coming from Weiss' mouth, like always! Jaune could always trust her to point out his flaws.

" _Objection_!" Ruby exclaimed as she raised her hand, valiantly defending him. "That is simply not true! I didn't know about him and I didn't find him strange or weird! Or creepy!"

"I said ' _any normal person_ ', Ruby." Weiss pointed out with a teasing smile, making Blake snicker.

"I-I'm normal!" Ruby flushed. "I'm definitely not special! My knees are perfectly ordinary, thank you very much!"

"...What? Why are you bringing up knees?" Weiss blinked, confused.

"It's just an expression!" Ruby blushed.

"I don't think you're normal, Ruby." Jaune suddenly said.

"H-huh, what?" Ruby gasped, looking at him with a betrayed expression.

"You are definitely special… In a very good way!" Jaune grinned widely.

"It _is_ true, I suppose." Weiss acknowledged reluctantly, watching Ruby blush bright red. "You are being accepted two years early into Beacon, after all."

"And you've been made team leader despite that," Blake added.

Jaune shared a smile with Weiss and Blake as they watched Ruby turn into a stuttering and mumbling mess, trying to deflect their compliments away.

* * *

One day, Jaune found himself alone in the lockers' corridor.

"Hey."

Jaune turned his head towards the voice.

It was Yang.

"Hello, Yang." Jaune tried to greet her properly.

"Yeah, hi." She stepped forward. "I wanted to tell you something… Jaune."

"What… What is it?" Jaune asked apprehensively.

"I don't know how you got into this school."

"I was invited," Jaune informed her, instantly shifting the blame on the teachers. "By the headmaster and the deputy headmistress."

"…But you're weak. And you let yourself be bullied by that Winchester ass."

"…W-well... Yeah." Jaune admitted, wincing.

But what choice did he have?

If he fought back, he would break some bones.

As long as it didn't turn into a fight, Jaune didn't mind enduring it quietly.

Yang's eyes narrowed. "I don't have a problem with you, but I think Ruby _does_ deserve a better partner."

Jaune winced again, "M-me too…"

"So…" Yang took a step forward. Jaune stepped back in response. "You need to change your attitude! Grow stronger and more confident, so that you don't just weight her down with you, okay?"

"O-okay…" Jaune nodded, despite thinking that he was already doing exactly that.

"Hey."

A hand suddenly slammed on Yang's shoulder.

Blake's head suddenly appeared behind Yang, a scary expression on her face.

"Wh-whoa!" Yang jumped away from her, frightened. She pointed a finger at her. "What are you, a ninja?"

Blake vanished again.

 _A_ _clone_ , Jaune realized, _she's using her semblance to sneak on her._

She reappeared behind Yang again, placing herself between the two blondes.

"Don't you feel arrogant, telling people what to do?" Blake growled.

"E-er… No, I wasn't really telling him what to do…" Yang played with her hair, uncomfortable, "Just giving friendly advice."

"Advice for his sake, or for Ruby's sake?"

"Well, uh… Both, I guess…?" Yang shrugged.

"…I don't think you know what you're talking about." Blake said bluntly.

It was true… Yang didn't know Jaune's circumstances.

"…"

"…"

Blake continued to glare at Yang, while Yang stared at them for a moment.

"Well…" Yang eventually sighed in relief, "If that's how you are, then I know Ruby will be okay in your team. And I _was_ a bit out of line…"

"Uhuh." Blake gave her a flat look, unimpressed.

Yang raised her hands innocently. "I get it, I get it." She looked at Jaune. "I've said all I wanted. Out with a _Yang_!"

And with that, she bolted away and disappeared.

"…"

"…"

Blake's amber eyes turned towards him.

S-scary.

…She walked away.

Jaune remained frozen.

"…"

"…"

After a few meters, she paused for a moment and glanced behind her, towards him.

She gave him a sassy raise of eyebrow. Like she was asking ' _what are you waiting for_ '.

Ah…! Jaune finally realized it. She was waiting for him.

He hurried after her and caught up to her.

"Th-thanks, Blake… You didn't have to do that, you know." Jaune said, walking by her side.

"I know."

"Y-you know?"

"I did it anyway."

"…" Jaune looked away.

They walked back to their team together in a comfortable silence.

 _Blake is so cool..._ Jaune thought, smiling.

* * *

After classes, Jaune would leave the team and go to Miss Goodwitch's office to receive private lessons.

"You broke it?!" Miss Goodwitch exclaimed, gaping at him. "You broke the Atlesian Dusteel?!"

A-ah… Jaune forgot about that.

"Yeah… Um... I-it didn't even last a second." Jaune said. "Maybe it was already broken...?" He tried.

"…" Miss Goodwitch stared at him for a moment.

"I'm sorry..." Jaune apologized.

"It's not your fault, Jaune..." She sighed, and struggled to find words for a moment, "...Now we know this was the wrong approach."

"Yes…"

Jaune started feeling really bad about breaking that precious item.

As expected, he should have refused that gift just like always. What had he expected?

Still, Miss Goodwitch kept teaching him regardless.

And so Jaune started learning how to use Aura.

Or tried to, at least.

It was impossible for Jaune to get any grasp on his Aura.

He might as well try to catch a raging storm with his hands. That may be easier, actually.

It wasn't specific to Jaune, either. Nothing could get a grasp on his Aura.

"Jaune. I can't read your Aura." Miss Goodwitch declared as she was scanning him with her scroll.

"Um, what?"

"Look at the scroll."

Jaune looked over at what was displayed on the screen.

 _Jaune Arc: 284%_

"That's… a lot of Aura." Jaune commented with a little chuckle.

"It's bugged." Miss Goodwitch frowned, holding the scroll close to his chest. "The numbers keep changing."

 _Jaune Arc: 561%_

 _Jaune Arc: 193%_

 _Jaune Arc: 48%_

 _Jaune Arc: 835%_

 _Jaune Arc: 610%_

 _Dzzzt! Crack!_

The scroll broke in Miss Goodwitch's hands.

"Eh?" Jaune blinked in surprise. "But…! I didn't even touch it! I-I'm sorry!"

"…Like I said, it's not your fault, Jaune…"

Miss Goodwitch sighed and carried on.

She looked a bit down… The atmosphere became a bit gloomy after that.

Miss Goodwitch... Was she losing patience?

Still, she kept giving him exercises. Like trying to channel his semblance from a specific area of his body.

Everything was useless, of course. His semblance did whatever the hell it wanted and Jaune had no control over it.

As days passed, Jaune could tell that Miss Goodwitch was growing more and more frustrated.

He didn't say anything, though. Even if there was only a tiny chance of learning how to control it, Jaune would gladly take it.

 _Please stay patient with me. I'm doing my best... I'm sorry..._

But it didn't seem like anything she made him do was any good.

"It's okay, Miss Goodwitch!" Jaune gave her an encouraging smile. "It's already amazing enough that someone is willing to help me despite my breaking things!"

"Jaune…" Miss Goodwitch sighed. She seemed mentally tired. "…This is only the beginning. We haven't tried everything. Don't lose hope, okay?"

She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Jaune.

"O-okay..." He forced a smile.

And so the fruitless lessons continued…

* * *

The weekends came around, uneventful.

At these times, Team Rainbow chose to stay on the campus, as they hadn't fully explored the school grounds yet.

But Jaune had planned to study on the weekends.

So there he was, sat at his desk, reading a book and slowly taking notes.

"That's wrong." Weiss pointed out with a cheerful tone. "Read the article properly."

"Thanks."

Weiss lectured him. After an hour of studying, She had volunteered to check his work.

Of course, she would jump at the chance to show off her knowledge. It hadn't been difficult for Jaune to figure out how to ask her.

"Weiss, since you're so smart and knowledgeable, could you check my notes, please?" Jaune had asked.

"No. Ask someone else."

"Oh, Okay. I thought you were better than Ruby and Blake at this stuff so I asked you first..." Jaune said with a regretful tone, "I guess I'll just ask Ruby then."

"... _Wait_."

And so, Weiss started checking his notes.

She fell right into Jaune's trap. He was starting to know his teammates quite well.

Normally, Jaune would not have dared to try such a thing, but...

Basically...

Jaune was gaining _confidence_!

It was only natural! He was living with three pretty girls in the same room, seeing them and talking with them every single day.

However shy or awkward he may be, he was bound to gain a little confidence around his teammates after living with them long enough.

It was very little changes, really, that Jaune noticed.

For example, he would no longer stutter or mumble his way through a conversation, nor was he blushing at every little movement the girls made.

He would not look down as much anymore, and even found himself talking naturally and smoothly with his teammates.

However, these improvements seemed limited to his interactions with Ruby, Weiss, and Blake. Jaune was still nervous around the others, although he was slowly getting better with team Pyrene.

And of course, there was that one time he walked into the bathroom and found Blake half-naked. He had blushed bright red and couldn't look at her in the eye for the rest of the day, but some things couldn't be helped, really.

Overall it was still a good improvement for Jaune, and he really started enjoying these little interactions with his teammates to the fullest.

Hell... Even his _semblance_ seemed to calm down a little as Jaune grew more and more relaxed living in this dorm.

"No, no, no. That's also wrong!"

"...Hey! Don't read over my shoulder!" Jaune groaned, annoyed.

Weiss was prompt to point out every little mistake she found. It didn't take her long, really, barely five minutes of her time every couple hours.

However, something as simple as pointing out mistakes was already helping him immensely.

"Hmph, fine." Weiss huffed and went back to lay on her bed. "Stay ignorant of your mistakes, then."

She opened a book and continued her read.

...

...

"So, Weiss…" Blake eventually called, smirking. "How do you find the book I lent you?"

"Hmm." Weiss blushed, still reading. "I-it's… interesting…"

She seemed embarrassed for some reason.

"The plot is very thick, isn't it?" Blake continued, her smirk widening.

"H-hm…" Weiss hummed, flushing. "Y-you're… you're terrible, Blake!"

Blake chuckled. "You're the one reading the book."

"Only because I want to learn more about your tastes, dear partner," Weiss replied embarrassingly. "I-it's not like I like it or anything. Idiot!"

"Sure," Blake rolled her eyes with a shit-eating grin on her face, "We'll go with that."

Weiss continued to blush and hid her head behind the book.

Ruby suddenly sighed loudly. "I'm booooored. Can I see what you're reading, Weiss!" Ruby asked, putting down the videogame console she had been playing.

"No!" Weiss and Blake exclaimed at the same time. They glanced at each other for a second, before Weiss turned back to Ruby.

"It's for partners only." She crossed her arms.

...Jaune smelled the lie from a mile away. What was written in this book? He too was getting curious.

"Uuugh… But I'm so boooored…" Ruby whined.

Her silver eyes turned towards him.

Jaune hurriedly leaned back over his book, continuing to study innocently.

He was lacking the common knowledge that his classmate had... A knowledge that even Ruby who was two years younger was familiar with. He didn't have time to play, he needed to catch up.

"Jauuuune…" Ruby called, slowly making her way towards him. "My best friend, my dear partner!" Jaune's shoulders stiffened, sensing the bait, "You wanna... go hang out in the park?"

"No, I have to study, Ruby." Jaune stated, trying to make his voice sound stern.

"U-uuu…"

Jaune's heart clenched at the cute, pitiful noise Ruby made.

"He does need to study very badly, Ruby," Weiss said. "Leave him alone."

"But he needs to relax, too!" Ruby protested.

Jaune ignored the argument and continued to study.

"H-hey, Jaune…" Ruby pulled shyly on his hoodie's sleeve, "M-maybe we can study together?"

"You already know this stuff, Ruby." Jaune replied, "In that case, I think it's better for me to learn by myself."

"U-uuu…"

Jaune's heart clenched again as he heard Ruby pout.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to close his heart.

Th-this… She had to do it on purpose! Right?

…

"Jauuuune…" She came from behind him and laid her chin on his shoulder, "When are you going to be done…?"

"…I planned to study all day long, Ruby. Sorry."

"U-uuu…"

…

Jaune's heart clenched painfully as he tried his best to ignore her pouts, while she slowly walked back to her bed.

"Uu-uu… _Sniff, sniff_."

Hearing this, Jaune's heart broke immediately.

Like the naive fool he was, he instantly stood up and fell right into her trap!

"Ruby!" He gasped and rushed to her, "I'm sorry! I'll play with you, okay? So don't cry!"

"R-really?" Ruby looked up to him, her puppy eyes full of hope.

"Uuuugh!" Weiss groaned loudly as Blake was sniggering behind her. "You can't be serious. Don't listen to her, Jaune!"

Jaune looked at Ruby's big puppy eyes.

Ruby was his first friend. He needed to make some time for his friends. He didn't have many friends, so he needed to take care of these relationships.

"Really," Jaune confirmed to his partner, giving her a big grin. "What do you want to do, Ruby?"

"Yaaay!" Ruby's attitude did a one-eighty and she instantly went back to her cheerful self. This girl! "Then, let's go play some video-games!"

"Jaune…" Weiss sighed, a look of pity in her eyes. "You fool. Do you not realize, that she has you completely wrapped around her thumb…?"

"Shut up, Ice Queen!" Ruby stuck out her tongue to Weiss before Jaune could reply, "You're doing partner stuff with Blake so I'm gonna do the same partner stuff with Jaune."

"Wh-what? S-same… stuff?!" Blake gasped, blushing bright red.

Weiss threw her a pillow in the face. " _Stop_. You're _terrible_ , Blake!"

"R-right…" Blake flushed bashfully, her cat ears twitching shamefully. "I'm terrible..."

"Let's go, Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, "We need to deepen our friendship before Blake and Weiss catch up to us!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Jaune blinked confusedly, not understanding what she was talking about. "What do you mean, ' _catch up to us_ '?"

"Oh god… I'm starting to think Ruby might actually be worse than Jaune." Weiss commented, facepalming.

"I don't know, Weiss. They both seem pretty bad." Blake mused, watching them.

"Hey!" Jaune protested. "No need to say it out loud!"

"Come on, Jaune." Ruby tugged on his arm, "Ignore these two! They're too big-headed to hang out with us. Let's go play some games!"

Jaune paused as he looked at the video game console Ruby was handing to him.

Video games… Jaune never tried it.

"No," Jaune shook his head, remembering the Atlesian Dusteel, "This is too expensive and I might break it."

"Eeeh?" Ruby whined, "But it's going to be the same for everything!"

"I'll just watch you play." Jaune offered. "I've never played anyway, I would be bad."

"But that's no fun…" Ruby pouted, "If I wanted to play alone I wouldn't have bothered you so much."

"It's fine, Ruby," Jaune smiled, happy that his friend was caring so much. "I'm used to it."

"No, no, no! It's very bad that you're used to it." She frowned, poking an angry finger into his chest. "We'll find something we can do together."

"Okay...!"

...

In the end, Ruby took him to visit Beacon's weapon-making facility.

Jaune didn't touch anything, but Ruby was able to show him plenty of weapons and offered insight on how they were made, how to counter them and such.

Jaune was very excited by it all. She even showed him a fire-sword!

"And look." Ruby proudly showed him a picture on her scroll, "Here's what I inspired my scythe from."

"Oooh…" Jaune gaped at the ingenious weapon. A sword that could turn into a scythe! That was so cool!

"This is my uncle's scythe! He was the one to teach me how to wield a scythe properly! I practiced with his scythe at first, so I was able to see the limitations in its design. So when I built mine, I made sure it was a lot more polyvalent!"

"Wait, you built that yourself?!"

"Yep! All students at Signal forge their own weapons!"

"...That's so cool!" Jaune gaped, envious. "Did your uncle build his scythe himself, too?"

"Er... I think so? Since he was a teacher at Signal, probably! But right now he is away on a mission, investigating some epic Huntsman stuff!"

"Wow, your uncle sounds badass!"

"Of course! That's because he's the coolest!" Ruby grinned proudly.

"Cooler than Miss Goodwitch?" Jaune challenged skeptically.

"Even cooler!" Ruby crossed her arms proudly, making Jaune widen his eyes in disbelief. "I'm sure he would like you!"

"You think so?"

As they continued to chat, Jaune found himself smiling the whole time.

This was so nice. Jaune wanted to spend more time like this. Talking with Ruby always felt very natural and enjoyable.

"Haaa… I can't wait till you're able to hold back your semblance. I'll make you do so many things!" Ruby gushed dreamily.

"…Yeah, me too. I want to play video games, it looks like a great time!"

"It is!" Ruby grinned widely. "Ooooh, when you get it under control, we're gonna have so much fun!"

Jaune smiled and looked up at the sky.

Getting his semblance under control…

Was it... really possible?

Jaune wanted to believe so. He started gaining newfound hope and motivation.

 _Miss Goodwitch… I trust you._

* * *

 **With Miss Goodwitch.**

"It's useless. I can't… I can't find out what is wrong with his semblance, Ozpin."

Glynda was currently reporting her progress to Ozpin in his office.

"There is never anything ' _wrong_ ' with any semblance, Glynda," Ozpin replied calmly.

"I know that... but... Lately, my private lessons with Jaune were all fruitless. Meditation does basically nothing, even after years of practice.

"Standard accuracy exercises to control Aura flow proved useless as well. It seems Jaune's Aura is like a storm raging inside his body. Seizing control of it seems impossible for him, and always resulted shattering the ground.

"How such a violent Aura is protecting his body, I have no idea… I would not even be surprised if it was actually harming it in some way.

"And also... Jaune destroyed the Atlesian Dusteel, which was an almost indestructible catalyst, specifically designed to store dangerous energy and diffuse it harmlessly into the air.

"And then, there's the fact that we couldn't scan his Aura with a scroll… Honestly, I am not even sure that the scroll was defective.

"His Aura is so strange and… defying of all rules. At this point, I would not be surprised if these three-digit percentages were actually accurate, and his Aura really was spiking that much.

"I… I don't know... what to do anymore." Glynda sighed. "This is above my expertise, Ozpin."

As silence fell over them, Glynda felt hopeless.

Jaune's semblance was not similar to hers at all. Glynda's own semblance had caused her to break things too when she was young, but Jaune's was on a completely different level.

A giant pit of destruction waiting to strike at any moment. In many ways, it reminded her not of a semblance, but of a Maiden's enormous magical power.

Except a Maiden's power didn't come from her Aura.

Jaune Arc's semblance was an anomaly. It was breaking everything, even the rules, ironically.

Ozpin and Glynda had investigated Jaune Arc's past. They learned about his story and felt sorry for him.

So, as professors, they had chosen to have Jaune attend Beacon like the others, to give him a chance at normal school life.

However... The more Glynda was studying this power, the more it felt impossible for him to learn to achieve basic control over his semblance. And if he didn't learn it very soon, he wasn't going to pass the first semester.

At this rate, it might become necessary to remove him from Beacon and hand him to Atlas, who was much more equipped than Vale to deal with such volatile semblances.

"Glynda… You must not lose hope."

Glynda raised her eyes to the headmaster, who was staring into her eyes sympathetically.

"The fact that he can channel his semblance from his own will at all, means that he has the tiniest bit of control over it." Ozpin pointed out. "That much is undeniable. I would suggest trying different approaches and diversifying the exercises, preferably ones that do not require control over Aura flow."

"So… Just keep trying, is what you are suggesting," Glynda stated, disappointed.

"Indeed. We cannot give up. Each person has their own way of mastering their semblance."

"...I suppose so..." Glynda admitted.

"You are the first person he has met who actually tries to actively help him, Glynda." Ozpin pointed out. "And with your ability to fix whatever he breaks, you are the only one fit for it, too."

"..."

"You can save him." Ozpin insisted. "And he, in turn, will save many people. Are you really going to give up now?"

"No," Glynda replied. "Of course not."

If Ozpin thought it was possible, then Glynda would keep trying.

She stared outside through the window, looking up at the sky.

Getting his semblance under control...

Was it... really possible?

Glynda wanted to believe so.

 _Ozpin… I trust you._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading.**

 **I call this a ' _chill'_ chapter; I went a bit slice of life on this one. Nothing really significant happens, but I think those chapters are necessary once in a while.**


	6. It's not your fault

**A/N: Sorry this is late, I know.**

* * *

"L-let me out!"

Jaune banged on the inner door of the locker.

He'd been pushed inside it by someone - probably Cardin, and the guy had locked the door.

"H-hey!" Jaune called from inside as he heard the sounds of buttons being pushed, probably setting up a destination, "W-wait! Waiiiit!"

Jaune felt the Dust engine roar below his feet, shaking the whole locker and launching itself in the air.

"G-gah...!" Jaune gasped, feeling the brutal change of altitude.

Crap, Jaune had been through plenty of annoyances before, but this was just too much. He might actually die from this, since Jaune still didn't know how to land properly! Why was he doing this?

...Now that the locker was rising like a rocket in the air, there wasn't any risk of breaking anything else... so Jaune closed his eyes and channeled his semblance to break out.

 _Crack!_

In a flash of white light, Jaune blew every part of the locker away as if he had exploded from inside it.

He opened his eyes in panic, and he was falling.

The world rushed around him in a blur, and he knew the painful crash was coming soon.

"Aaaaah!" He screamed in panic, his senses in disarray, mouth agape.

It went fast, yet slow, almost suspended.

 _Soften the landing._ Jaune thought hurriedly. _Turn it into sand...!_

 _How did I do it the first time?_

Jaune didn't remember! He couldn't think straight!

He was going to impact the ground!

"Aaah!" Jaune clenched his eyes shut.

His body suddenly stopped moving as he felt something catch him.

Jaune opened an eye, unsure of what happened.

"...?"

Someone had caught him in his arms right before he impacted the ground.

A giant man with a big sword.

Jaune sighed in relief, his body relaxing. What a scary experience.

"What do we have here?" A girl's voice called behind the big man.

"Don't know," the man grunted, putting him down on his feet. "He fell off the sky."

Jaune staggered for a moment as he restored his balance, still shaken by the experience. He took a look at the duo.

"People can't fall off the sky, Yatsu." The girl replied. "He fell _down_ the sky."

The guy was tall and athletic-looking, with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin, wearing mostly pale-green and brown attire.

The girl had fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and wore sunglasses. She had wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with dark brown and transitioned to a caramel color.

She also wore very stylish clothes and way too many accessories to count.

"...Hello there," Jaune greeted, waving his hand at her and turning to the big man. "Thanks for catching me, er..." He remembered his name. "...Ya... tsu...?"

"Yatsuhashi Daichi." He groaned.

"What?" Jaune blinked.

"Yatsu." The girl nodded.

"Oh."

"And I'm Coco."

"I'm Jaune Arc, nice to meet you."

"Oh, you're _that_ guy in first year. I've heard of you." She looked him up and down, curious.

The teachers had warned the classes and informed them all of Jaune's dangerous semblance, so it was no surprise some people knew his name.

"So how come blondes fall from the sky nowadays?" She asked with a smirk.

"Um..." Jaune hesitated, "Remember that one bullhead, from the day before Initiation?"

"Yeah, the one that crashed?"

"Yes. _That_ 's how."

"Oh." Coco raised an eyebrow. "Where's the bullhead then?"

"It was a locker this time actually," Jaune said.

"Really. You decided to take a nice flight with a locker, huh?"

"N-no... Someone pushed me inside it."

"Couldn't you have gotten out before the locker launched itself into the sky?"

"The door was locked."

"But from what I've heard, that shouldn't be a problem for you, right? Words on the street you're a special student that can break stuff. Just break the lock or something."

Jaune narrowed his eyes.

So she was one of these people, that thought they always knew better, huh.

If there was one type of people Jaune didn't like, it was the ones telling him how to use his power.

"I could," Jaune admitted reluctantly, "But I would have probably destroyed a part of the building too. It's very dangerous."

"The building?" She chuckled in disbelief, "Surely it's not that bad."

"It _is_ that bad." Jaune groaned.

"Care for a demonstration, then?" She dared.

 _This girl..._

"No, sorry."

"Why not?"

"I just told you, it's too dangerous."

"You're no fun."

"...Semblances aren't supposed to be toyed with," Jaune stated. He was very serious about this topic.

"Damn. You're _really_ no fun." She sighed. "Not like I can understand what you mean, I still haven't unlocked mine." She shrugged. "Still, you should loosen up a little, rookie." She suggested, "Get some nice clothes and go party."

"..." Jaune's eye twitched, starting to get annoyed. "Why would I waste my precious money on _that_? Not everyone can spend all their wallet on a handbag and pretty clothes."

Not like Jaune had any money to spend, to begin with.

"Hey!" She protested, putting her hands on her hips, apparently upset. "I'll have you know there are plenty of nice clothes around in Vale for an affordable price. Appearances count, you know, it would be like an investment for you."

"I can think of numerous things that would make for a better investment..." Jaune replied.

"Wow. I think we found someone worse than Velvet, Yatsu."

 _I don't like this girl_ , Jaune decided in his mind.

She probably was one of these rich girls who judged people by the clothes they wore.

"He's right, though," Yatsu grunted, making Jaune grin widely at the big guy. "You do spend too much on clothes and accessories."

"Yes, but better too much than strictly nothing." She replied. "I mean... Look at yourself, rookie."

"M-my name is Jaune." He corrected.

"Right. How old are those clothes, rookie?"

"...Uh... Two years old, I think?"

"What?" She gasped as if he heard him drop a particularly offensive statement. " _Two years old_?! What in the world- How - Did these clothes grow with you?"

"No, when I got them, they were extra large, so that I can grow into it, to make them last longer," Jaune explained, a bit embarrassed.

"...Maybe you should ask the school for better clothes, rookie." She suggested.

"But I don't need better clothes?" Jaune frowned, confused. "These fit me just fine..."

 _Why is this girl so obsessed with clothes?_

"Listen here, rookie," Coco said.

"...Stop calling me rookie."

She grabbed his shoulder, drawing him closer.

"Have more confidence in your own value." She whispered as if she was telling him some important secret. "If the school went out of their way to offer you a scholarship, that's because they value your potential.

"Ask for some spare money to get better clothes. Believe me, they're not going to refuse if it's coming from you, the precious special student of the school."

Jaune hummed. "I don't think I'm that special, though..."

"Doesn't hurt to ask, right? Especially if you are so broke."

"But, asking something like this... Isn't it overstepping my boundaries?" He questioned, very reluctant at the idea of begging for money.

"Not really. They offered you a whole four-years scholarship, I would say a little spare money is nothing compared to that."

"Right..." Jaune nodded hesitantly, "I'll... uh... I'll consider it."

"Great!" She clapped his back.

 _Crack!_

HIs semblance lashed out at the unexpected attack!

"Aouch!" She gasped in pain and staggered backward. Visible cracks appeared on her Aura and spread to her arm. "What the hell!"

"S-sorry!" Jaune raised his hands. "I didn't do it on purpose! Are you okay?" He asked, worried.

"Jeez, you're a real bundle of nerves, aren't ya." She groaned, shaking her arm. After a few seconds, her Aura glowed back and restored itself on her hand.

"The teachers were not exaggerating, I see," Yatsu commented.

"I'm really, really sorry..." Jaune apologized, ashamed.

Had she not have Aura, his semblance would have broken her arm.

"It's fine," She shrugged, rubbing her hand. "But, damn, that... that really hurt, actually." She groaned, checking her scroll. "Holy- I lost sixteen percent Aura from that...?!"

"I-is that a lot?" Jaune asked hesitantly, concerned.

"Considering you did not move a muscle, it is very powerful," Yatsu stated with a surprised expression on his face.

"E-er..." Jaune scratched his head bashfully, "Coco, please don't clap my back so hard again..."

"Well, it's a good thing I wasn't coming back from a combat class, or you'd have finished me off!" She laughed and slapped his shoulder recklessly.

"C-careful..." Jaune warned, stepping away from her.

This girl, even though she just got her Aura damaged, she didn't seem to mind...

Usually, people started avoiding him after something like that happened, but not her.

She was strong, huh... Maybe Jaune was wrong about this girl.

"Aw, you're all concerned for me." She teased, "That's just adorable."

"This is not a joke." Jaune insisted, seriously worried that he was going to break one of her limb, "This is very dangerous!"

"All right, all right." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Well, it was certainly interesting meeting you, rookie." She said, "We'll let you ride your lockers in peace now."

"R-right... Um, thanks again for saving me, Yatsu." Jaune said.

"Don't mention it, Jaune." He grunted back.

"See you later!" Coco waved. "Or not!"

With that, the duo walked away.

Jaune sighed heavily, looking down at himself.

A change of clothes, huh? Did he look that bad?

Should he really ask Miss Goodwitch for some money? Jaune didn't want to play the beggar.

Anyway, there were more important issues to take care of first.

Jaune sighed again as he thought back to Cardin.

Getting launched in a locker like that...

What was next? This needed to stop.

* * *

 **Later.**

Jaune didn't share much of Cardin's annoyances with his team. He felt like this was something he had to deal with alone, and he didn't want to bother his teammates that he was _already_ slowing down, to begin with. **  
**

Besides, they were already aware of it, so no need to complain again.

So, Jaune went back to his team without saying a word.

"And so this move will be called… Ice Flower!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I suppose it fits," Weiss allowed.

Team RABW was now gathered outside in the Emerald Forest, on their leader's demand.

According to Ruby, they needed to make special moves to better work in pairs, improve teamwork, and overall communication between teammates.

 _Practice makes perfect_ , Ruby had said, as the more time they spent dealing with Grimm in the Emerald forest – as a team – the better they became at making proper calls, and work all the more smoothly.

"Grimm to our right," Jaune called, "Behind the second rock."

"I see it," Blake confirmed.

Another idea that Ruby was slowly hammering into their heads: by quickly communicating an enemy's position to the team, swift and coordinated action became possible, allowing the team to work as a well-oiled killing machine.

"He's hurt," Blake said after landing a couple of gunshots on him.

"I got him," Weiss confirmed.

"Good job, team!" Ruby called. "Let's continue to practice. Separate in pairs again," She ordered, "Checkmate and Lancaster."

They all nodded and separated, Jaune and Ruby on one side, Weiss and Blake on the other.

Jaune looked at Ruby who walked rapidly in front of him, her scythe deployed.

She was taking this training very seriously. She had that little spark in her eyes, that made it feel like she knew exactly what she was doing, somehow.

As expected of a fifteen-year-old genius, Jaune supposed.

" _Grrr…_ "

"I hear something!" Jaune called instantly.

"Me too!" Ruby nodded, narrowing her eyes. "From the right."

"And the left!"

"We're surrounded," Ruby stated, looking around them. "Perfect timing. Jaune!" She turned her eyes to him and smirked. " _Crescendo_ _Blast_!"

Jaune perked up at the call, knowing exactly what to do as the Grimm was coming closer to them.

He slammed both his palms on the ground and channeled his semblance.

 _Crack!_

The ground shattered in a wide radius around them, making all the adjacent Grimm lose balance.

Meanwhile Ruby had jumped right before Jaune created his seismic assault, which meant she had been unaffected.

Jaune quickly planted his feet into the ground, knowing what was coming.

Using her semblance, she dashed around him in a circle and spun her scythe around him several times, pulling the Grimm towards them with each hit. Like a reaping whirlwind, grasping all Grimm around and cutting some of them in half, while the others were pulled and thrown towards its center.

Then Ruby flew again in the air, leaving a mass of Grimm all around Jaune.

Jaune closed his eyes, remembering the face of Cardin Winchester.

And he channeled his semblance just as the Grimm were all about to tear him apart.

"Raaaah!" He screamed, releasing his anger and frustrations into the attack.

 _Crack! Boom!_

The mass of Grimm exploded, blasted away from Jaune. Completely obliterated!

One of the only things he had learned out of Miss Goodwitch's training: if Jaune channeled his semblance with anger or rage, the effect became even more powerful.

Useful to know, but not helpful when it came to restraining his semblance and learning self-control.

"Few…" Jaune exhaled, glad that it was over, while a bunch of black limbs and blood rained around them.

"Got'em!" Ruby exclaimed as she landed back in front of him. "Hah!" They shared a high-five. "Gosh, I'll never get tired of that move! That was soooo cool."

Spinning around Jaune and using Ruby's scythe to pull the Grimm towards him, before Jaune blasted them all in one single, efficient attack.

Such was the move that they – well, mostly Ruby – had created: _Crescendo_ _Blast_!

"And it has a cool name, too." Jaune smiled.

"Yeah!" Ruby grinned. "Now let's move on! We don't want to fall behind."

"Yes!" Jaune nodded.

At first, they had tried the move that Ruby had mentioned in Initiation: Ruby grabbing Jaune and making them go super fast with her semblance.

But... it just didn't work.

They had discovered, that when Ruby touched him, she could not use her semblance to make them go fast.

This was perhaps the greatest discovery about Jaune's semblance so far.

It seemed he could not be affected by other people's semblances.

This meant that Ruby could not make the two of them burst in rose petals, however hard she tried.

This included Weiss' glyphs. Jaune could not use Weiss' glyphs as platforms like Ruby and Blake could, if he tried, he would just break the glyph. And of course, he could not be buffed by her time-dilation glyph, either.

Same with Miss Goodwitch's telekinesis: it was impossible for her to lift him in the air.

At first, his teammates had been a bit disappointed to find that out, as Weiss' glyphs were very convenient to use for support and teamwork, but they quickly cheered up.

After all, Jaune may be unaffected by the positives, but the same went for negatives.

If a semblance that paralyzed a target existed, for example, then Jaune would probably be immune against that. As long as he had some Aura left, at least.

Was the problem that he could not ' _actively_ ' control his Aura?

Or was it just a ' _passive_ ' effect of his semblance?

Jaune did not know.

However, they had quickly discovered that the same could be said for Dust.

Jaune could not use Dust.

One would think that if Jaune were to touch a Dust crustal, then it would naturally break and explode, right?

Wrong.

If he touched a dust crystal, it would lose its energy without exploding and become transparent.

It ' _broke_ ' the Dust crystal, in such a way that it didn't explode, which made dust completely useless for him.

Jaune had a theory about this. After breaking so many things, he was slowly beginning to understand that the meaning of 'breaking' could vary greatly from one object to another.

One could say that the dust explosion was the expected use of a Dust crystal.

Then, 'breaking' the Dust Crystal would mean making sure it did not explode.

This was why sometimes when Jaune held a scroll, it was running out of energy. Because the Dust crystal fueling it had simply been depleted.

Well, it was much safer this way, Jaune supposed, so he was glad he didn't have an explosion on his hands every time he touched a scroll.

However, with each discovery, Jaune realized it more and more.

There was a lot of different ways to ' _break_ ' things.

Turning things into sand, dismantling a bed, breaking a scroll without touching it, damaging Aura, depleting dust crystals, negating semblances.

What else could be possible?

At this point, the possibilities might as well be infinite.

Right now, however, Jaune could not care less about all of this. He did not need all of this.

All he wanted, was to learn how to shut down his Semblance for good.

* * *

 **With Yang.**

"Haaa!"

Yang dashed forward and threw a punch with all her strength.

"Oof!" Ren gasped as her fist impacted his belly, which sent his body crashing into the wall.

Their classmates winced at the brutal finisher move.

Well, calling it a finisher move was a bit exaggerated. The only thing Yang did was the usual punching, except her semblance had been enhancing her strength.

"And that's the match." Miss Goodwitch declared.

"Sorry, Ren," Yang said as she walked to him, giving him a hand to stand up.

"All good," He managed to smile, "A spar is a spar. I am slowly learning your fighting style, perhaps I will beat you next time."

"Dream on," Yang grinned.

Another victory in the bag.

She was ranked second best in combat class, with the first place belonging to the Invincible Girl, her dear partner Pyrrha.

The two of them formed the most powerful duo of Beacon and destroyed everyone else.

"Miss Xiao-Long." Miss Goodwitch called, "Until now you have not been punished by your strategy. However, such a way of fighting is punishable by someone with enough strength to match your own."

"Yeah... I don't see that happening though." Yang replied.

In terms of physical strength, Yang was the strongest.

Not just in Beacon. The strongest, _period_.

With her semblance boosting her, she was always coming out on top of any contest of physical strength.

"Just remember that you will not always be able to charge in so recklessly. Take your last fight against Miss Nykos for example." Miss Goodwitch said. "Speed and technique can easily overcome brute strength."

Yang winced. "Yeah, I know..."

Pyrrha, of course, was the exception. She dodged almost every attack, and even when Yang managed to land a blow, her shield tanked the majority of the damage.

"Good job, Yang." Pyrrha smiled when she and Ren came back, "You're really merciless."

"Just like you, Pyrrha," Yang replied, and they shared a smirk.

Being the two at the top, they felt a certain common understanding between them. Though Yang had to admit, Pyrrha was still a good cut above her.

"Ren!" Nora called her partner, "Are you okay?"

"I'm good, Nora," Ren replied. "I've still got some Aura."

"I can't wait for the Vytal tournament," Yang grinned, "We're gonna kick everyone's asses."

Pyrrha hummed in agreement.

"Nora," Ren protested in annoyance as the red-head continued to examine him. "I told you, I'm fine."

"But your face is all red. Let Nurse Nora take care of this for you..."

Ren shuddered at the name.

"I think he's going to be fine, Nora." Pyrrha laughed, coming to his rescue.

"How cute, you're worried for him~" Yang teased, poking Nora in the side.

"Gah! This isn't what you think!" She brandished her fist in the air, "If one of my teammates gets injured then I'll break the legs of the ones responsible!"

"Ah?" Yang paused, her grin freezing.

"Lucky for you, he seems to be just fine!"

"Eh? But I'm your teammate too!" Yang protested.

"Oh really? Nevermind! I think I'll punish you after all!" Nora grinned evilly, "Tickle attack!"

"Gaaah!" Yang giggled as Nora jumped on her and started grabbing her sides. This girl was crazy!

"Xiao-Long! Valkyrie!" Miss Goodwitch roared. "If you can't stay silent, get out of my class!"

"..."

"..."

Yang and Nora blushed in embarrassment at the call out, as the rest of the students turned to look at them.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha said her usual line and waved.

"Yaaang..." They heard Ruby groan under her breath.

"It's always these two," Weiss muttered to her partner. "Troublemakers..."

That's right. Yang and Nora were the troublemakers of the class and were giving Pyrrha and Ren plenty of trouble for it.

Though they didn't seem to mind it too much.

"Haaa, what am I going to do with you two." Pyrrha sighed under her breath.

"You'll get used to it." Ren chuckled, giving her a pat on the back.

"Haha..." Yang and Nora exchanged a nervous laugh.

Yeah... This team was _awesome_.

"She started it, though," Nora said.

"Wha-? You _bitch_!"

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

It happened one day.

Jaune was checking his lockers as usual, though he did not have much stored into it.

It was a day like any other, in the middle of the week.

"Hm? What's this?"

Jaune frowned as he found an envelope inside his locker.

"Huh?" He picked it up to examine it.

There was a pink heart on it.

Eh?

"This…" Jaune widened his eyes.

This letter. Could it be…

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. He blushed and opened the envelope, gulping in anticipation.

There was a message inside.

He read it:

 _Jaune Arc,  
_ _I have seen how much you struggle every day, and you inspired me to do better._ _I think you are cute.  
_ _If it's okay with you, meet me in the Emerald forest this afternoon, I would like to tell you something._

Whaaaaaat?!

Jaune's face turned red as his imagination began running wild.

This really _was_ a love letter?! _To Jaune?_ Incredible!

"She didn't say her name…" Jaune wondered dreamily, "I wonder if she's cute…"

* * *

 **Later.**

"Hmm, hmm, hmmm."

Jaune hummed a little happy tune under his breath as he sat with his team in the cafeteria.

"You seem in an awfully good mood," Weiss remarked.

"Did something good happen?" Ruby asked, curious.

"A-ah…" Jaune flushed. "Well… Hehehe… Huhuhu."

"…"

His three teammates exchanged a weird glance.

Jaune couldn't help the giggling. He was happy.

He had never been noticed by any ladies in the past, yet now he was being called _cute_ and _inspiring_? He couldn't help but be ecstatic!

After all, he was at that age, where the notion of having a girlfriend - even for a very short time - meant everything.

His imagination was already running wild as he imagined himself going on dates with a girl he had never even met!

This was just the kind of normal thing that Jaune had always wanted to have, ranked up there right next to friends and family.

"What's so funny?" Ruby wondered, shaking his arm. "Come ooon. Tell us!"

"Ahaha…" Jaune scratched his head happily, "I'm just happy. I think... Someone is going to confess to me!"

"…What!" Ruby gasped, her eyes widening. "Holy crap! How did that happen?" She gushed, shaking his shoulder, "Tell me everything!"

"I received a love letter!" Jaune claimed proudly, pulling out the said letter. "Here!"

"Whaaat?" Ruby squealed and grabbed the letter. "I thought this thing didn't happen in real life and only in mangas!"

"A love letter?" Weiss frowned, exchanging a weird glance with her partner. "That… Seems…"

"Weird." Blake nodded, narrowing her eyes. "Who writes love letters nowadays?"

"Eeeeeh! It's not a love letter." Ruby protested after she read it. "She just gave you a rendezvous in the Emerald forest!"

"The Emerald forest?" Blake frowned. "Why there and not behind the dorms? Sounds sketchy to me."

"The hand-writing too is a bit…" Weiss wondered. "And why this afternoon? Why not right now?"

"Maybe she has class." Jaune shrugged, still grinning widely.

"During lunchtime?" Weiss raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"She may be busy eating, I don't know," Jaune replied.

"…And she didn't sign with her name." Blake frowned, her ears flattening on her head.

"But she called me cute," Jaune pointed out happily.

"...I have a bad feeling about this," Blake muttered, ignoring his comment. "This _must_ be some kind of trap."

"A trap?" Ruby repeated, considering the idea. "Hmm… Doesn't that sounds a bit paranoid, Blake?"

"No, she's right. The more I think about it, the more it seems unlikely." Weiss mused.

Jaune narrowed his eyes at them, pouting.

"Is it really _that_ unbelievable that a girl would write me a love letter?" He asked, a little upset.

"Well… Yes." Weiss answered bluntly.

"Pretty much," Blake agreed.

Wow… Okay then.

"Er… It does sound a bit weird." Ruby scratched her head, uncomfortable. "Not because it's you! Because it's a love letter. A _love letter_! I mean, I've never heard about that…"

"…I don't care." Jaune scoffed stubbornly and turned away from them. "You'll see."

"You're still gonna go?" Blake tilted her head to the side.

"It's obviously some kind of prank, Jaune!" Weiss warned. "You shouldn't."

"You don't know that, Weiss." Jaune cut her and stood up to leave. "On the off chance that it's not a prank, and a girl really is waiting for me to come, then it would be too cruel to ignore her anyway, right? So I have to go."

"I guess so…" Ruby nodded awkwardly, watching him. "Wait! Right now?" She called after him as he walked away, "You're already going?"

"No. Just taking a break from you guys," Jaune said, honestly fed up with them at the moment.

They watched him leave quietly, heading back to the lockers room.

* * *

"Umm… I think you guys were a bit too harsh," Ruby said to Weiss and Blake. "I mean... What if it really _is_ a true love letter?"

Weiss and Blake gave her a flat, unimpressed look.

"I know you're younger, Ruby," Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes, "But surely even _you_ know that writing a love letter is not… usual."

"It's just weird," Blake agreed. "It just doesn't happen for students like us. This isn't like some bad fanfiction."

"Then why didn't you tell him that, instead of bashing him?" Ruby protested, hands on her hips.

"Bashing? We only told the truth." Weiss replied, crossing her arms.

"He is too naive." Blake nodded along. "The world isn't like a fairy tale, he needs to understand that."

"…You cold women! Don't be surprised when people call you Ice Queens!" Ruby pointed an angry finger at them, and…

Splashed them with a glass of water.

" _Water Splaaashhhhh!_ " Ruby shouted the name of her special attack in a dramatic tone, and before anyone could react, she bolted away with her speed semblance.

"…"

"…"

Weiss and Blake glanced at each other, stunned by what just happened.

"Oooh! Looks like the pussy is wet and the ice queen has melted!" Yang's voice commented from far away, followed by a giggle from Pyrrha and a couple of tired groans.

"…"

"…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile.**

Jaune sighed as he slowly walked back to his locker.

On the way, he kicked the ground, frustrated.

These girls, they seem so sure that no one would write him something sweet like a love letter.

What was so surprising about that?

Sure, it sounded a bit weird, but maybe the girl didn't know that. Maybe the girl was weird too!

Did they think he had no charm whatsoever? That no girl in their right mind would date him?

He was going to show them.

"..."

Jaune examined the letter again.

It looked like a girl's handwriting, it was very delicate. What was Weiss going on about?

Yeah, this really was the real deal. Jaune was certain of it.

He carefully put the letter inside his locker and closed it.

He didn't want to accidentally rip the letter apart with his semblance.

"…?"

Jaune suddenly spotted something weird to his right.

It was a locker.

For some reason, this locker's door had been blown wide open.

"..."

Jaune approached the locker, curious.

"..."

He recognized the location of this locker.

"..."

This locker, it was Ruby's, wasn't it?

"..."

And the door was... torn open...?

Hm?

"…This… is…" Jaune widened his eyes as he looked inside.

Inside the locker was Crescent Rose, Ruby's giant scythe.

The _remnants_ of Crescent Rose.

The giant scythe was broken in multiple pieces.

"Huh?" Jaune blinked, his heart clenching itself, reaching his hand to grab one of the pieces.

It was completely broken. The pieces seemed to have been smashed with brutal strength, making the weapon collapse on itself...

"No..." Jaune lamented, already imagining Ruby's teary eyes in his head.

This… Did Jaune somehow break Ruby's scythe?

"...Did I do this?" He wondered.

Jaune was automatically blaming himself!

After all, when he came to breaking things, he was always the number one suspect.

But...

Jaune shook his head as he searched in his memories.

No, no, no, he didn't touch Crescent Rose...

He _never_ touched Crescent Rose _ever_ , actually! That didn't make sense.

Huh? What was this? Jaune didn't understand.

Why was Ruby's scythe all broken up like this?!

"Jaune!" Ruby's voice called from behind him. "I'm sorry if I… didn't…"

Ruby's voice died in her throat, her eyes widening, focusing on the remnants of her weapon.

Jaune looked back at Crescent Rose, and the broken piece in his hand, and then back at Ruby.

"J-jaune…" Ruby's voice shook as she looked at him, disbelieving. "What… What is this?"

Jaune dropped the piece and raised his hands nervously.

"It's…It's not what it looks like, Ruby."

"What _is_ this!" Ruby raised her voice, dashing to her weapon.

She examined the parts carefully.

"M-my Crescent Rose…" She trembled, her eyes started tearing up. "It's all… b-broken."

"Ruby…" Jaune reached his hand to pat her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Ruby stepped away.

"Ruby?"

"What is this!" She exclaimed, holding the pieces of her scythe away from him, "What did you _do_!"

A sharp pain surged in Jaune's chest.

"I didn't do anything!" He protested, shaking his head wildly, "It was already like this when I found it!"

"Wh-what?" Ruby froze.

"I _swear_ that's the truth!" Jaune claimed, "It was already broken when I came here!"

"Then how did Crescent Rose get like this?" She asked in disbelief. "Why is it all broken up!"

"I… I-I don't know. Please, you have to believe me, Ruby!"

Ruby closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Jaune… If you're hiding this from me…!"

"I'm not hiding _anything_!" Jaune insisted.

"Who else could have broken it? Why would anyone do this if it's not you?" She shouted, "It's been sitting in my locker all day! Do you know how hard my scythe is to break! It's super tough!"

"I don't know!" Jaune desperately screamed back, "But I swear, it's not me! It was. _No_ _t._ _M_ _e_!"

Ruby shook her head, a moment of silence passing between them.

"…Is it because we upset you?" She eventually asked quietly.

"N-no…" Jaune protested weakly, "It… It wasn't me." He repeated. "It wasn't me..."

"You're always breaking stuff! But that's okay, right?" Ruby declared, narrowing her eyes at him. Like she was trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. "We're used to it, we understand. So why are you _lying_ right now!"

"…"

Jaune raised his hand, staring at his palm.

He was starting to second guess himself.

 _Did… Did I do this?_

 _Did I actually do this?_

"How could it just suddenly break like that, out of nowhere!" Ruby continued, trembling, "J-jaune… I thought we already went through this. You already explained everything to us."

"…"

A memory flashed in Jaune's mind.

...

" _It's bugged." Miss Goodwitch frowned, holding the scroll close to his chest. "The numbers keep changing."_

 _Dzzzt!_ _Crack!_

 _The scroll broke in Miss Goodwitch's hands._

" _Eh?" Jaune blinked in surprise. "But...! I didn't even touch it! I-I'm sorry!"_

 _..._

Jaune realized it.

It was indeed possible for him to break things without touching them… But…

To break Crescent Rose? Like that, without any reason?

No…

 _No_!

"No no no no no no, there's no way. _NO WAY_!" Jaune shook his head wildly, panicking and refusing to believe such a thing could happen. "It wasn't me. It wasn't _me_ _eeee_! Please, Ruby, you're... You're _killing me_ right now!"

"…" Ruby stared at him for a moment, uncertain.

She had a hurt, betrayed expression on her face.

"Ruby…" Jaune breathed and reached a hand towards her.

"No…" She muttered quietly, stepping away. "I don't know what happened... It doesn't matter what you say right now… because I'm too heartbroken to think straight." She sniffed, turning away, "I'll listen to you later, when I'm clear-headed..."

"Wait!" Jaune tried to grab her shoulder, only for her to bolt away in a burst of rose petals.

Jaune dropped his arm and breathed heavily, almost panting, his heart hammering in his chest.

Was he… responsible for this? Did he somehow wish for Ruby's scythe to break, and his semblance acted?

Was his semblance just _that_ petty?

No way. _No way_. Impossible!

Or was it?

 _Am I in denial, right now?_

 _No. No!_

 _I refuse to accept this possibility!_

 _Crack!_

The floor under Jaune's feet suddenly cracked loudly.

"N-no… Calm down." Jaune took a deep breath. "Don't think of it yet… Just calm down."

 _Crack!_

The cracks spread around the corridor, reaching the walls.

If he stayed here, the whole corridor was going to collapse.

"Crap…" Jaune groaned, glancing around him.

As expected, it was useless trying to control the spasms of his semblance.

 _I have to get away from the buildings._

Jaune carefully walked towards the exit, his semblance still cracking the floor, but slowly calming down in intensity as he tried to forget what happened and focus on leaving the building.

" _You_!"

Jaune froze as he was stepping out of the building, hearing the shout.

This voice… He recognized it. Jaune turned towards its direction, dreading what he would see.

A red-eyed Yang was stomping her way towards him.

"What did you _do_!" She accused.

"Wait!" Jaune immediately raised his hands defensively, taking a step back. "I-I didn't do anything!"

 _I don't think so, at least…_

Yang grabbed him by the collar, raising him in the air.

"Bullshit!" Yang roared at his face. Her skin was very warm, she was radiating heat. "You just broke my sister's scythe, didn't you!"

"Nooo...!" Jaune groaned, "I didn't!"

"And the floor of the locker's room too, from what I'm seeing!" Yang shouted, glancing behind him.

"No! I swear I'm telling the truth!" Jaune insisted, his leg dangling uselessly in the air. He was praying whatever god was out there that she wouldn't try to punch him. "When I found it, it was already broken!"

"Do you have any idea how Ruby is feeling right now?" Yang asked lowly.

 _Do you have any idea how Ruby is feeling right now?_

Jaune gritted his teeth.

"How she is... feeling...?" Jaune drawled. " _Of course_ I know!" He shouted back, gripping her arm.

 _Crack!_

Yang cried in pain as his semblance attacked her Aura, making her stagger backward, surprised.

"Just how many times do you think I've seen this?!" Jaune asked, his anger rising.

Yang looked at her arm, checking it carefully.

Visible cracks were spreading on her Aura around her arm, making the golden light flicker. Her eyes switched back to a lilac color.

Good... Her arm was not broken.

Crap, this could have been bad.

What if he had shattered her limb? All because he got angry.

Jaune immediately felt regret and shame washing over him.

"Yang... I-I'm sorry for that just now." Jaune groaned. "But this time... This time, I didn't do anything."

Yang's eyes focused back on him and switched back to red, and her aura lit up again, making her hair burst in flames.

"Jaune..." She growled lowly, taking a step towards him, "Can you swear to me, right now, that you _did not_ break my sister's scythe?"

"…I…" Jaune hesitated.

Dreadful doubts suddenly came back to him, plaguing his mind.

…

 _"Eh? But...! I didn't even touch it!"_

 _Did I actually do this?_

 _Am I… in denial?_

…

Jaune's words remained stuck in his throat.

"I _knew_ it!" Yang roared and proceeded with the next sensible thing to do.

That was, punching him in the face, and sending him rolling on the floor.

A sharp pain surged in his jaw as his Aura flashed to protect him.

 _Crack!_

His semblance fought back against the strike, causing Yang to groan in pain once again.

"Aaouch! You little…!" She shook her fist which glowed in a golden light, cracks spreading around her Aura once again.

Jaune staggered back on his feet, a bit dazed by the force her punch had been packing. Below his feet, the ground cracked loudly too.

Looking at Yang, he noticed her eyes had switched back to lilac and her hair had gone back to normal.

Why was it switching like this? Was Yang bipolar or something like that?

 _It's her semblance_ , Jaune realized in his pain. _I'm... I'm negating it._

"That hurt... But I'll hit harder!" Yang proclaimed and dashed towards him.

 _Wait... If I'm negating her semblance, then her Aura... is it...?_

"Don't!" Jaune gasped in panic, staggering backward as he tried to get away from her.

She ignored him and punched him again.

This time was not as painful, and Jaune withstood the blow. Yang's punch was much weaker than the one before.

And...

 _Crack!_

This time, her Aura did not protect her limb.

His semblance poured itself into her arm, twisting it in a weird angle and effectively snapping it like a twig.

"Aaaaaargh!" She screamed. "M-my aaarm!" She cried in agony, holding her limb.

Meanwhile, Jaune had been simply been thrown on the ground.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Jaune cried, trying to stand up again.

"You hurt Yang!" Another voice called from behind him. "Then I'll break your legs!"

It was Nora.

Jaune's eyes widened as he saw her hammer being brought down on his legs.

"Aaagh!" Jaune winced in pain as he felt the hammer hit his knees, his Aura flashing to protect him.

 _Crack!_

A burst of white light and the hammer was dismantled to pieces.

Everything was going wrong.

"Magnhild!" She gasped in surprise, "Ooooh, you've done it now!" She shouted angrily, clenching her fists.

"Nora! Stop!" Ren ordered, stepping between them.

Meanwhile, Yang was being held back by Pyrrha who had also shown up.

"Let me gooo!" She shouted, her arm still in pain. Her hair lit up in flames again and her eyes turned back to red.

Her aura was back to glowing in a halo around her body, healing her arm.

"No! You have to calm down, now, Yang!" Pyrrha insisted and looked at him. "Go!"

Looking at this scenery, and seeing the two crazy girls being restrained by their respective partners, Jaune took his chance.

He ran away as fast as possible.

"He's getting away!" Nora exclaimed, before being tackled down by Ren.

"You bastard!" Yang shouted after him.

Jaune kept running.

"Ngh… Haa..."

Jaune ran away as fast as he could, away from the buildings, into the Emerald Forest.

He ran until he was exhausted, the cold wind brush against his cheeks, feeling the pain in his legs from Nora's hit.

Ugh...

Why did his power have to break Ruby's scythe?

Why was this always happening to him?

And he had just been beginning to have fun with this life at Beacon.

Jaune eventually came to a stop, panting hard.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm down.

Crap... Crap... Crap. He kept screwing everything up over and over.

What was going to happen now?

 _I'm attracting Grimm... I need to keep moving and calm down._

 _This happened many times in the past... Just walk it off, Jaune._

* * *

"Ooooh? What's this?"

After a couple of minutes, a voice called from the bushes around him.

"…?"

Jaune opened his eyes, still trying to catch his breath.

"Cardin… Now is really not the time." Jaune growled a warning, "Can we do this later?"

His heart couldn't hold it all back anymore.

He was losing his patience. His mind, too.

Too many things were happening at the same time, increasing his stress.

"Really?" Cardin smirked, "I think it's a perfect time. I got a present for you."

"A present...?"

Jaune narrowed his eyes on the darkness within the trees, a muscular shape slowly stepping out.

"That's right, a present."

"P-please let go!"

Another voice begged.

Jaune's eyes widened as he saw them step into sight.

He was holding a rabbit Faunus by the ears.

"…Who is this?" Jaune asked, confused. "Why... What is this?"

"You tell me, Jauney-boy." Cardin chuckled. "This is your little secret admirer. Do you not remember?"

Secret... admirer?

Jaune widened his eyes, putting two and two together.

The letter...!

"Y-you…" Jaune stared at the girl. "It's you. You're the one who wrote that letter?"

She was cute...

" ' _You're the one who wrote that letter?'_ " Cardin repeated with a high pitched voice, parodying him. "Hah, you really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"I-m sorry…" The girl apologized to him, tears in her eyes. "They… They made me write it... to lure you away. They said they would leave me alone… "

…What?

Cardin made her write this letter?

Just to make fun of him?

"..."

So…

Weiss and Blake had been right, huh.

"..."

Jaune gritted his teeth.

A trap.

This had been nothing but a cruel joke.

Why would anyone do this?

"Haaa." Jaune exhaled a slow breath. "Haha…" He chuckled dryly. "First the locker, now this. What have I ever done to you, Cardin." He wondered.

"Why?" Cardin asked and grabbed on the bunny-girl's ears.

"Aaah!" The girl screamed in pain. "Please, let go...! You promised...!"

"…" Jaune remained frozen, trying to tone down the urge of punching Cardin's face.

" _This_ is why. Look at you…" Cardin scoffed with a disgusted expression, narrowing his eyes on him. "Come oooon, Jauney boy.  
"Say something! If you aren't going to get angry, then take a laugh with us at least!  
"You're like a statue. Why are you fighting so hard to go against the flow? Grow a sack! Stop being a coward, and help this girl as a true warrior should!"

Cardin tightened his hold on her ears, making the girl clench her eyes shut, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks.

Jaune remained frozen.

He remembered his fight with Yang and Nora.

He could not afford to have a repeat of this. This was why he had to remain calm.

 _But… Crap… I want to punch his face so hard right now._

Between the locker incident, the bunny-girl's fake letter, Blake and Weiss' disbelief, his fight with Ruby, and the usual daily annoyances that his semblance brought, he was going to...

 _Crap, no. Don't even think about it._

Jaune shook his head, his heart hammering in his chest, adrenaline pumping.

 _Breath in… Breath out._

"Why… are you... doing this?" Jaune articulated, trying to remain calm.

"Why? Because you do not deserve to be here! That's why!" Cardin shouted, and let go of the girl's ears, throwing her away towards him like some trash. "You're just civilian trash!"

Jaune looked at her, worried. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes," She mumbled, teary-eyed.

"You can leave now," Jaune offered, "Go call Miss Goodwitch."

"Y-yes, I'll get help."

No need to tell her twice, she hurried away.

"Tch," Cardin stepped forward. "I hate people like you two. ' _Go call Miss Goodwitch_ '... Really...? You're gonna snitch?"

"What did we do?" Jaune groaned, looking around him.

He needed to buy some time before running away back to Beacon and avoid a fight at all cost.

Honestly, he was starting to feel rather proud of his prowess of self-control right now.

All his muscles were tense, asking nothing but to let his fury out. Which he did on Yang, to a degree.

"What did you do?" Cardin repeated, grimacing angrily. "I'll tell you. You're weak, and yet, you got accepted into a school for the strong. And that girl, she is strong, yet she is acting so weak. It doesn't help that she's one of those animals, either." Cardin explained, scoffing. "Both of you, are an insult to Beacon. Both of you, are spitting in the face of people like _me_ who seek true strength!" He declared, raising his clenched fist.

"Why do you care so much about strength?" Jaune scoffed, "To the point of doing this? There are more important things. Why pursue such a meaningless squabble?"

"Meaningless!" Cardin repeated, clearly offended. " _Meaningless_ , huh! What do you know of _meaningless_!" He roared, taking a menacing step forward.

Jaune stood his ground. He was at a point where he wasn't sure he could move without triggering his semblance, his whole body tensed up, about to explode.

"Spend most of your life dictated by your family!" Cardin exclaimed, starting to pace around in a circle.  
"Watch them dwindle to a handful, slaughtered by a bunch of mad beasts!  
"Have your life spared because you are ' _no threat_ '…  
"And then, then tell me what has more _meaning_ than your _own, individual strength_!"

He slapped his chest armor, "I have the blood of a Huntsman family! I have trained all my life!

He pointed a finger towards Jaune, "And you, you are nothing but a joke. A mere civilian, stepping foot into this prestigious academy that many dream to attend!  
"No _training_!  
"No _will_!  
"No _dreams_!  
"No _motivation_ or _determination_.  
"Do you not realize your own luck? Many have worked hard, and have had their dreams crushed.  
"Yet I have to watch you spit on these people, these traditions? Every single breath you take, is an insult to the title of Huntsmen. An insult to us, my and everyone else's pride!  
"You are trampling on everyone's hard work, and now, it's time for you to get what you deserve!"

"…"

So this guy wasn't just a giant jerk, he actually had some motivations besides just having fun.

' _Pride_ ' and ' _honor_ '. Cardin was waving such concepts around to justify his actions.

...This was what he had been worried about when he had accepted Miss Goodwitch's offer.

Jaune hadn't earned the right to come study in this school, so it was not fair to the people who had trained hard.

"…I understand." Jaune slowly said, trying to drown his anger. "It is unfair that someone like me got accepted into Beacon… However, such a view, isn't it a bit selfish?"

"Haaa?" Cardin groaned aggressively.

"I don't think Beacon cares who has been working hard and who hasn't," Jaune continued, "If someone has the potential to save lives and kill Grimm, they get recruited, whether they worked hard or not. It is their decision, and I trust them.

"I've been cursed with a destructive semblance all my life." Jaune spat, clenching his fists. "In my opinion, _I_ am the unlucky one. I was _cursed_! And I was offered a chance to go to an academy that could teach me how to _stop_ it. I _had_ to accept! I couldn't pass up the opportunity!" Jaune exclaimed, stomping the ground.

 _Crack!_

The ground cracked loudly under his foot.

"Cursed?!" Cardin repeated, not paying it any mind and laughing sarcastically. " _Cursed_! Are you kidding me? Do you listen to yourself? How edgier can you get?

"Do you not realize how fucked up you are? Having such a toxic view of your semblance... It's no wonder you can't control it. There is no synergy with your soul, no acceptance in your mind.

"Hear this, Jaune."

He took a menacing step forward.

"This is not a _curse_! This is a _blessing_! Understand that! You have been blessed with power, yet you don't realize it."

Blessing? This guy… He didn't understand anything.

"No," Jaune replied. "You don't understand. This is not a blessing." He gritted his teeth.

"It is!" Cardin shouted angrily. "Ugh, you are pissing me off! And why the hell are you always like _this_?  
"You let yourself be made fun of, despite having such power. You have no pride, no honor.  
"Xiao-Long recognized this. The Schnee heiress recognized this. Everyone!"

Jaune winced, the words stinging.

 _Calm down. Breathe._

"Someone like you… Tch…" Cardin scoffed. "I get it now. You must not have any emotions. I bet you have no friends, either."

 _What's this now… What is this guy saying?!_

"I _have_ friends," Jaune growled lowly.

"Really? Then point them out to me! Are we talking about _little red riding hood_? She doesn't seem to be very fond of you right now!"

"That's…" Jaune's heart clenched, thinking back on Crescent Rose.

He looked down, remembering Ruby's betrayed expression.

It hurt, just thinking about it.

At this moment, Cardin took a step forward, smirking savagely.

"And you know why? Because _I_ was the one who broke your partner's gardening tool!"

…

…

…

"Huh…?" Jaune breathed lowly.

Something lit up within him as he watched Cardin cackle in front of him.

"Hahaha, that shit was the best! I was there the whole time, watching everything! I set everything up!" He laughed. "Even my teammates thought it was too much!"

"…" Jaune clenched his fists, his heart pumping blood and adrenaline, his head pulsating dangerously.

The locker. Weiss and Blake. Ruby. Yang and Nora. And the rabbit girl.

This was all Cardin's fault.

Jaune's vision blurred. He was sweating, the temperature of his body skyrocketing.

 _Crack!_

The ground below his feet shattered.

" ' _Jaune, I thought we went through this! I thought we were friends, Jaune~'_ " Cardin mimicked Ruby's voice, delighted to see that his words were having such an effect on him.

"…"

" ' _How could you brea_ _k_ _up my precious scythe, Jaune!' "_ Cardin continued imitating Ruby, a wide grin on his face, _"_ _'Now I'll just whine at you with my annoying voice! I bet that will help for sure!'_ "

"… It was you." Jaune groaned ominously, feeling an unknown force break free within his soul.

He suddenly felt his mind detach itself from his body, instinct taking over.

"Yeah… It was me." Cardin sighed satisfyingly.

"You… You...!" Jaune's eyes flashed, a halo of white light surrounding his body.

Something ignited within him.

 _CRACK!_

A giant flash of white light illuminated the Emerald forest followed by the sound of thunder,

A sharp pain erupted in his head, so excruciating that it felt like it was splitting his skull in half,

And everything faded away.

…

…

* * *

Ozpin watched the academy from his tower.

A peaceful day.

"Headmaster Ozpin?"

"Hm?"

Beacon's nurse stepped forward. "A student was just put in the infirmary."

"Hm."

"Yang Xiao-Long. Her arm was broken."

"..."

"It happened after she assaulted another student."

"...Who?"

"Jaune Arc."

"…"

Ozpin narrowed his eyes on the academy and took a sip of his coffee.

 _And so it begins._

"You told me to keep you informed of anything related to Mr. Arc, so… I thought you should know, headmaster."

"Yes. Thank you." Ozpin nodded.

The nurse bowed her head and left his office.

Ozpin hummed under his breath.

 _Glynda hasn't shown any progress with her private lessons, and Mr. Arc has started injuring his classmates._

 _Perhaps, it may be time… To call it off._

"…"

 _CRACK!_

A loud thunder suddenly resonated through the whole academy.

Ozpin widened his eyes as he looked at the Emerald Forest, where a beacon of white light was shining through the trees.

He saw trunks being blown away all around the light, pieces of dirt shot in the air.

Like a miniature white star radiating destruction.

The light faded after a dozen seconds.

"…"

With this, it was very clear.

 _It's time to call it off._

Ozpin turned back to his office, grabbed his cane, and stepped into the elevator.

* * *

…

Jaune opened his eyes again, a painful headache surging in his temple.

His vision was blurry. His body was exhausted. His mind, too.

Yet he felt like he had been knocked out for only a few seconds...

What… happened? He didn't remember.

"Ugh…" Jaune sat up, his clothes dirty, and took a look around him.

His body was at the center of a giant crater.

Many trees around the areas had been blown away, numerous trunks laid around the crater. Some of them were burning, the flames cracking softly.

The dirt was oddly warm and had been turned all over. Clouds of dust and smoke were still lingering around the area, slowly dissipating.

"…" Jaune stood up, his heart clenching painfully in his chest.

He recognized this scene.

There had been only one time in the past when Jaune had woken up in the middle of such desolation.

Jaune released a shaky breath, walking up the crater.

Let's not make any hasty conclusions… It could be a mistake.

Something like this did happen one time before. However...

 _Cardin… If it's that guy, he's probably all right._

 _He has Aura. He has armor. He's strong and tough._

 _Yeah… It's okay. He'll be all right._

 _It'll be okay…_

"Gh…"

Jaune suddenly heard a groan. He immediately hurried in its direction.

"Ngh…"

It was Cardin.

…Right?

It was… Jaune had trouble recognizing him.

He no longer wore armor, and his clothes were torn apart in rags.

His limbs had been twisted in all manner of directions, and his skin had turned a dark blue and was partially burned, which was barely visible under all the blood.

Cardin was crawling on the ground with his chin, using it to push himself forward with the strength of his neck, inch by inch.

"Cardin…" Jaune gasped, kneeling beside him.

Such injuries. Was he going to die?

And Jaune couldn't help him… He couldn't touch him, it was too risky.

The bunny girl… She was not around. She had to have seen this. Anyone could have seen this, really.

 _Please, hurry up and come back with some help!_

Jaune looked down at Cardin.

"Please…" Jaune begged, his voice shaking. "I won't get angry anymore, okay? So you have to survive. I'll do anything, just please survive… I'll do your homework and your chores if you want… Just… Don't die."

"Ngh…" Cardin groaned, trying to push on his chin.

He struggled for a moment, flexing the neck of his muscle, lifting his weight.

Then his body suddenly went limp, and he exhaled softly.

"H-hey… No…"

"…"

"C-cardin? You have to keep going…"

"…"

"This… This… _Why_?!" Jaune asked angrily.

 _Crack!_

"…"

"You started this!" He shouted.

 _Crack!_

"…"

"You requested it!"

 _Crack!_

"…"

"You're at fault! You're responsible!"

 _Crack!_

"…"

"Talk to me!"

 _Crack!_

"…"

"The teachers warned you! You got under my skin, and succeeded! Now what?!"

 _Crack!_

"…"

"Here it is! You asked for it. My emotions."

"…"

Jaune panted. "This… This is what happens… When I give in."

"…"

Something wet rolled down Jaune's cheek.

"Why… Why did you do this."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Hah… Haha…Hahaha…"

Cardin started chuckling, coughing out some blood.

"…?" Jaune widened his eyes. He was alive! And in good enough condition to laugh...!

"…Hah… Hahaha…" Cardin continued to chuckle darkly with a depressed expression on his face. "I can finally see it now… I'm just… A normal average person… Even after all these years of training, I'm just… another one of those fucking _normies_ … And…"

Cardin struggled to speak, "And… There are also… special people… In a league of their own."

"…"

"…Like you… You're special… You're a freak… A monster…! A fucking demon… is inside you…"

"…Yeah."

"…"

"You're right." Jaune agreed sadly. "I'm the worst."

Cardin closed his eyes. Almost peacefully, as if relieved to hear these words.

And he stopped moving, his body relaxing.

"…H-hey!" Jaune reached out his hand towards him, before stopping himself from touching him at the last moment. "H-hey! Cardin! I'm an asshole, right! Keep talking! Don't stop!"

"…"

"Come on… Are you gonna leave your team like that? Where's your honor as a Huntsman?"

"…"

It was no use. Cardin was no longer moving.

He was resting.

An idea suddenly surged in Jaune's mind.

"Y-your family. Cardin! Earlier, you were talking about how your family dwindled to a handful."

"…"

"You can't die on them too, right?! Cardin, are you gonna leave your family alone?"

"…"

Miraculously, Cardin slowly opened his eyes again.

"Ngh… I…" His eyes looked so tired. "I… don't want to die…"

"You're not going to die!" Jaune desperately latched onto his words. "You're not going to! You've got family!"

"Y… Yea…"

"They don't want you to die, Cardin! You can't leave them alone."

"…They… They…" Cardin's gaze was dazed. "They're not like… me. They're… good people."

"Right, so you have to be there for them! You have to!"

"…"

"Jaaaune!" A voice called from somewhere around them.

"I'm here!" Jaune screamed desperately, his voice cracking, "We're here! We need help!"

"…Ng… ah…"

"You heard that, Cardin?" Jaune reassured him, "People are coming. Hold on, just a little longer!"

"Haa…" Cardin sighed.

"They're here!" Ruby's voice called.

"Oh my god…!"

"What happened!"

A bunch of people arrived. Jaune could barely hear or see anything, he remained focused on Cardin's body.

Miss Goodwitch levitated Cardin's body, carefully holding his position.

"Mr. Arc!" Ozpin reached him, grabbing his head in his hands, and forcing him to look into his eyes. "Mr. Arc! What happened?!"

Jaune looked away, his eyes locking on the ground.

"It was me…"

"Wh-what?!" Ruby's voice gasped. "What did you say?"

"I DID THIS!" Jaune screamed.

"…"

"…"

"…"

* * *

 **Later.**

Miss Goodwitch was talking to the headmaster in the infirmary. The rest of his classmates had already been dismissed in their dorms.

Jaune couldn't hear what was being said from where he was.

Even if he could, he wouldn't listen.

Images of Cardin's injuries were stuck in his mind.

"..."

After a moment, the headmaster nodded, and they parted ways.

Miss Goodwitch went back to the nurse.

"Will he live?" Miss Goodwitch asked anxiously.

"Yes." The nurse nodded.

Jaune's shoulders relaxed a little.

Cardin was going to live… Thank god.

"However, I do not know how many time he will need to recover, even with Aura and dust to help him heal." The nurse continued, before lowering her voice. "This is insane, Glynda… Much worse than Xiao-Long's arm, which is much cleaner… I've never seen anything like this. It's like something exploded from inside his bones… It's a miracle he survived. But I do not think he'll be able to continue his life as a Huntsman..."

Jaune's heart stiffened, and he lowered his head.

"…Thank you." Miss Goodwitch nodded, schooling her expression.

Miss Goodwitch and Jaune left the infirmary.

They passed in front of Yang's bed, but Jaune didn't look at her, he was too scared of seeing what kind of expression she had on her face.

"Mr. Arc…" Miss Goodwitch turned to him once they left the room.

"Yes…?" Jaune's eyes were fixed on the ground.

He already knew what she was going to say.

"We have gravely underestimated the hazardous nature of your semblance." She declared, "The headmaster and I have come to a difficult decision."

"…"

"Letting you come here like this… It was a mistake." She sighed, shaking her head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Mr. Arc… But… You will have to go pack your things in your dorm."

"..."

"You cannot stay among your classmates anymore." Miss Goodwitch explained.

"…"

A heavy silence fell on them, as a fog started enveloping Jaune's mind.

Ever since Initiation… Three and a half? Four weeks, right.

Four weeks, huh… Not even a month.

That was shorter than average.

Haa… They had even come up with some cool team attacks. But it couldn't be helped.

Oh, well… It was fun while it lasted. His lessons with Goodwitch had been useless, so something like this had been bound to happen eventually.

This was just another repeat of all the other times. Jaune was used to this.

"…Okay." Jaune nodded numbly, surprisingly calm.

He had always been, in these moments.

"I'm sorry, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch said, her voice faltering.

Like they always did when the time comes.

"No, it's only natural. I'm sorry for what I did." Jaune apologized, his eyes fixed on the ground.

His mouth was working on auto-pilot.

He had lived through this so many times.

It was like hitting a replay button. He had grown numb to it.

Jaune just repeated the same words as always.

* * *

 **Later.**

"..."

Jaune hesitated for a moment in front of the door of his dorm.

He could hear the faint voices of his teammates coming from behind it.

He closed his eyes for a moment, laying his forehead against the door.

"..."

 _Okay... Close your heart to it._

 _Let's go._

Taking a deep breath, Jaune opened his eyes and stepped inside.

This caused silence to fall on the room.

"...Jaune. What are you doing?" Weiss asked as she watched him grab his bag.

"I'm packing up," Jaune answered with a monotonous voice, not looking at her.

"Packing? For what reason?"

"I..."

"Jaune!" Ruby hurried to his side, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you... The headmaster showed me the camera footage, it was Cardin who broke my scythe, not you..."

"..."

"U-um... I-I understand you're mad, but please don't pack your things..." Ruby looked down with a regretful expression.

"I'm not mad," Jaune said.

"Then why are you packing?" Blake asked.

"I've been expelled," Jaune answered on the tone of the conversation. "I've sent Cardin to the hospital for god knows how much time, and I've injured Yang too, so now I'm considered too dangerous to stay here."

"…What?!" Weiss gasped.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Ruby protested.

"No, it makes sense," Jaune replied, quickly increasing his pace and closing his bag.

He had to leave fast. He could feel himself wavering.

"Th-this can't be happening…" Ruby whimpered, latching onto his arm. "I won't let you go!"

"Stop! It's dangerous to touch me." Jaune warned, trying to peel her off his arm.

"No, no, no!" She whined like a spoiled child, tightening her hold on his arm. "I don't care!"

"Ruby! Let. Go!" Jaune demanded sternly.

"No! That's not fair!" She insisted, "It's not your fault!"

"Yes it was!"

"I can try talking to the headmaster." Weiss offered. "Surely this has to be a mistake."

"There is no mistake," Jaune stated.

"How can you be so calm?" Blake suddenly asked him, having remained quiet until now.

"I know… I'm calm." Jaune sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted for some reason.

She was making this harder than it needed to be.

"I'm used to it…" Jaune tried to look away from them. "Now get off my arm, Ruby."

"N-no!" Ruby cried, her eyes tearing up. Jaune's heart clenched at her pitiful expression. "If you're used to it, and it doesn't affect you anymore, then you're… you're already broken, Jaune..."

The fog in his mind cleared for a moment, and Jaune suddenly realized just how horribly right Ruby was.

It was true, he had been expecting something like this to happen.

So he had been careful to not let himself hope too much.

Perhaps, after all this time, wherever he would go, he would always feel prepared to leave.

"Mr. Arc!"

Miss Goodwitch suddenly called from behind their door, making the four of them pause.

"Are you done packing up?" She asked.

"She's here!" Ruby hissed, panicking. "Quick, we need to hide him!"

"The bathroom!" Blake suggested.

"Wha- Hhmmm!" Jaune tried to protest but his mouth was instantly covered up by a sock. "Mmm!"

"What are you idiots doing?" Weiss exclaimed, exasperated. "Let him go, This won't change anything."

The heiress opened the door, revealing Miss Goodwitch.

The teacher raised her eyebrows at Blake and Ruby trying to tie up Jaune.

"Jaune… It's time." She sighed, "Pick up your bags."

"N-no!" Ruby protested desperately. "Miss Goodwitch, this has to be a misunderstanding!"

"He was not at fault," Blake pointed out, "Cardin provoked him, and he couldn't control his semblance."

"Surely you can't expel him?" Weiss tried. "Letting him roam freely in town? You have all interest in keeping someone like him at Beacon."

"Expel?" Miss Goodwitch blinked. "No one was expelled."

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

"What?"

"…" The three girls turned to stare at Jaune confusedly.

"You're raising a good point, Miss Schnee." Miss Goodwitch acknowledged, "Mr. Arc cannot roam free in town."

Weiss puffed her chest proudly.

"However, neither can he roam free in this school." The teacher continued. "It was decided that Mr. Arc will move to an isolated part of Beacon, away from the other students. Which is why he needs to pack up his belongings." Miss Goodwitch explained, adjusting her glasses. "He will no longer take lessons with his classmates, either. His scholarship will be completely specialized."

So he was not expelled?

"Wh-what?" Jaune stuttered, his mind still trying to catch up to what was being said.

"We will focus all of our time on training." Miss Goodwitch declared. "I'm sorry Mr. Arc, but after such an incident, we cannot let you live with the other students anymore."

Jaune remained quiet.

"Oh." Ruby blinked. "Well… That's not too bad, Jaune." She finally let go of him. "Will we be able to see him?" She asked.

"No." Miss Goodwitch replied categorically. "No visits until he can control himself. If you have anything to say to him, say it now."

"O-oh…" Ruby winced, and looked at him for a moment.

What was she going to say, Jaune wondered?

The team?

Crescent Rose?

Cardin's injuries?

Yang's arm?

There were many reasons to be upset.

"…" Ruby narrowed her eyes at him. "No… I have nothing to say."

"…Are you sure?" Miss Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Yes." She replied.

Miss Goodwitch narrowed her eyes, leaning forward to stare at Ruby from above her glasses, trying to decipher her expression.

 _Ah_ , Jaune widened his eyes, recognizing Ruby's expression. _This face... This is her lying face._

"Right, guys?" Ruby turned to Weiss and Blake.

"…Right. Work hard, Jaune." Weiss waved at him.

"Take care," Blake replied.

 _Just like that, huh?_

"Okay…" He sighed.

"Let's go, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch ordered.

And so, Jaune walked away with Miss Goodwitch.

He looked back to his team one last time before leaving.

They were muttering something among themselves.

Ruby noticed him staring back at them, and gave him a smile and a thumbs up.

Jaune didn't have it in him to reply back. He looked away and continued to follow after Miss Goodwitch.

He was silent all the way, still feeling numb to the whole situation, until they reached a new building that Jaune didn't recognize.

"This is the apartments for Beacon's staff and guests." Miss Goodwitch declared as they stepped inside. "Here, there's always going to be someone available to help you."

They climbed the stairs, Jaune spotting teachers like professor Port and doctor Oobleck around. Miss Goodwitch led him to a guest's apartment.

Quite luxurious, but right now Jaune didn't care.

"…Miss Goodwitch…why was I not expelled for this?" He asked tiredly as he sat on the bed, not even caring to look around the apartment. "I deserve it... It's going to keep happening."

"It's not your fault, Mr. Arc." Miss Goodwitch replied.

He scoffed and remembered Cardin's injuries.

"No, it's definitely my fault." He replied.

"It's not your fault." She repeated.

"It is!" Jaune insisted. "I… This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault."

"…" Jaune shook his head, turning away.

"Jaune." Miss Goodwitch called. She sat beside him on the bed. "It is not your fault."

"…"

"Jaune?"

"…"

"It _really_ is not your fault, Jaune."

"…Yeah." Jaune muttered, "I know." He lied to make her happy.

What did she know of this?

 _Can you leave now? Thank you._

"It's not your fault." She repeated.

"Yes. I know that already." Jaune nodded, still looking away from her.

"It's not your fault."

"I. Know. That!" Jaune raised his voice, clenching his fists. Was she taking him for an idiot?

"It's not your fault."

"Stop messing with me...!"

"…Look at me in the eyes, then." She requested.

"…"

With some hesitation, Jaune turned around and stared into her eyes.

They looked pained.

"Jaune… It's not your fault." She repeated.

"I-I… I know…" Jaune's voice started trembling.

"No… You don't." Miss Goodwitch stated sadly.

"…" Jaune opened his mouth.

And then closed it.

He couldn't trust his voice.

"It's _not_ your fault." Miss Goodwitch repeated softly.

Something broke inside him.

He looked around for a moment, desperately averting his eyes.

"It's not your fault."

Jaune covered his eyes with his hands.

He started crying.

Miss Goodwitch put her arms around him, embracing him tightly.

Jaune broke down in tears, wrapping his arms around her.

"O-ooh god...!" He gasped, suffocating with each breath he took, and cried on her shoulder, clinging to her. "I-I'm so sorry...!"

"I know," she whispered with a soothing voice. "I know."

Sometimes, you have to repeat the same thing over and over, to show how much you mean it.

"It's not your fault, Jaune."

* * *

 **A/N: Fuck, this was hard to write.**

 **Edit: Hiatus until June. Got a lot going on. Apologies.**


	7. Haunted Soul

**A/N: June is here,**

 **Hiatus is over,**

 **Handled the bother,**

 **Enjoy the chapter~  
**

* * *

 _Jaune was falling._

 _Yet he felt rather calm._

 _It was a slow fall._

 _Everything was white._

 _He eventually landed softly on a white, solid ground._

 _Or the ground landed on him._

 _One of these. Had he even been falling in the first place?_

 _"Where… am I?"_

" _Jaune."_

 _Jaune looked up towards the voice._

" _Cardin…"_

 _The man was standing there, not moving an inch, staring at Jaune._

 _And smiling silently._

 _It was a serene smile._

 _Why was such a serene smile on Cardin's face?_

" _Cardin?"_

"…"

 _Jaune bowed his head, unable to look into his eyes._

 _Crack!_

 _Cardin's skin suddenly got fractured._

 _He started to slowly evaporate into dust._

" _Cardin!" Jaune dashed forward, reaching for his arm before it disappeared._

 _Too late. Cardin vanished in smoke._

"… _No…" Jaune lamented._

 _The cloud of dust cleared. Behind it, another person was revealed._

"… _?!"_

 _Jaune widened his eyes._

 _It was human - probably? - and its skin was glowing white light, making it impossible to distinguish its features. On his face, only his eyes were distinguishable, glowing an intense light blue, like a pair of flashlights. Its hair was also glowing white and seemed unaffected by gravity as if it was underwater._

 _Actually, it felt like it was more some kind of wisp than a human… This thing felt like… something made of pure energy._

 _This human-shaped wisp dropped its hand._

 _Ah… He's the one who disintegrated Cardin, Jaune realized, his heart sinking._

" _You… are…" He widened his eyes, fear taking hold of his mind._

 _A dark smirk appeared on its face within the blinding light. The man stepped forward, raising a hand towards him._

 _Crack!_

 _Jaune's leg shattered._

" _Aagh!" Jaune screamed in pain, falling backward._

 _The wisp continued to advance towards him._

 _Jaune desperately crawled away from him._

 _Useless. The monster walked up to him, grabbed him by the neck, raised him in the air, and…_

 _Crack!_

 _Jaune felt his body disintegrate into ashes._

* * *

"AAah!" Jaune gasped, snapping his eyes open.

 _Diii… Diii… Diii…_

Jaune panted for a moment, taking a minute to calm down as his heart hammered in his chest. Sweat rolled on his face and dripped off his chin.

What a scary nightmare…

 _Diii… Diii… Diii…_

Sighing, he looked to his right, expecting Ruby to whine at the alarm clock.

There was no one, of course.

"…"

 _Diii… Diii… Diii…_

Jaune sighed again and sat up on his bed, switching the alarm off.

"…"

After contemplating the ceiling for a short moment, he stood up.

He went to take his shower and prepared himself, dressing up in his usual hoodie and jeans. Wearing the uniform was no longer necessary since Jaune didn't attend classes anymore.

"…"

He grabbed his bag and rummaged through it.

He took out a box of cereals out of some drawers, and some milf out of the fridge.

He rapidly made himself a simple breakfast.

He sat down at the table and started eating.

"…"

 _Crchk crchk crchk…_

Jaune could hear himself chewing his food.

 _Slrrrrp._

He loudly slurped the milk.

It resonated in the room.

"…"

This apartment was quite spacious… So much room for him.

This much space, huh...

"…"

Jaune stood up and walked over to open the window.

Sunlight filled the dorm, the chipping of birds came to his ears and the fresh air of the morning brushed against his skin.

His dorm was on the second floor of the building, giving him a nice view.

On the distance, he could faintly hear the distant sound of students chatting in the cafeteria.

"…"

Not too far from the window, was a series of trees.

On a branch, he noticed a bird singing.

Jaune smiled at the bird.

"…"

He stayed there for a moment, observing the bird that was singing peacefully.

It filled the silence.

Eventually, his eyes were drawn to the infirmary's direction.

Cardin…

The memory of his injured body flashed in Jaune's mind, along with his words.

' _This is a blessing, not a curse!'_

"I wonder… Does he still stand by what he said, now?" Jaune asked the bird.

 _Chirp chirp chirp~_

The bird cried and flew away.

"…"

* * *

 **With Cardin.**

 _"… It was you." Jaune groaned ominously, his aura flaring visibly._

 _"Yeah… It was me." Cardin sighed satisfyingly._

 _"You… You...!" Jaune's eyes flashed, a halo of white light surrounding his body._

 _ _CRACK!__

 _Cardin drew his mace and dashed forward, not intending on letting him take the initiative._

" _Raaaaah!" He yelled his rage and jumped, raising his mace, and bringing it down with all his strength in a devastating blow._

 _Jaune, whose whole body was like a miniature star illuminating the whole forest at this point, slightly bend over under the blow, enduring its strength, and merely bending his legs under the pressure._

 _He straightened up quickly, unfazed, and without warning, Cardin was blown away by a giant explosion, his mace and armor breaking apart in the process._

 _Cardin flew and landed ten meters away from Jaune._ " _G-gh…"_

 _He looked up and widened his eyes._

 _Jaune was floating in the air._

 _No…_

 _This was no longer Jaune Arc…_

 _This was something else, not human._

 _Cardin felt true terror looking at this monster._

 _What had he unleashed?_

" _Ah… I see…" Cardin breathed as he watched the disaster unfold. "That guy, all this time, was made of pure destructive energy…"_

 _Such was Cardin's final thoughts, as the white star radiated a final pulse of destruction._

* * *

"Nooooo!"

Cardin yelled as he snapped his eyes open.

Pain filled his senses as he panted harshly, each breath sending jolts of pain in his body covered in sweat.

He could not move a muscle, his whole body was immobilized by something.

"Jeez… You okay there buddy?" A girl's voice asked him.

Xiao-Long, Cardin recognized instantly.

"You know, they say dreams only happen in the last minutes of our sleep," She continued, "But you've been having nightmares all night long."

Slowly, Cardin managed to turn his head, which made him grit his teeth under the pain. Xiao-Long was in a bed too, on the other side of the room, albeit with only a broken arm from the looks of it.

"Nightmares?" Cardin managed to growl, which sent another wave of pain through his body. "Urgh… I don't have nightmares, blondie."

"Oh yeah? You're too manly to have nightmares, huh?" She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Gotta stay the alpha, right?

"Exactly." He groaned quietly.

Every word he spoke required effort.

But Cardin refused to stay quiet.

He was the type of guy who just never shut up, no matter the circumstances.

"Then why were you whimpering all night?" Xiao-Long raised an eyebrow at him.

"Those were not nightmares."

"What were they then?"

"…"

"Well? Blake cut your tongue?"

"...Very funny." He scrunched up his nose at the mention of the Faunus and looked away, before reluctantly answering. "Memories… Those were just memories. Not nightmares."

"…"

To that, Xiao-Long went quiet.

"What are _you_ here for, anyway?" Cardin asked after a moment of silence.

"…Jaune broke my arm." She answered.

"Yeah, he tends to do that." Cardin chuckled dryly, which sent another wave of pain up his chest.

"..."

He felt his body weaken already.

After only this much, he was close to passing out… His eyelids were becoming heavy.

"Yeah… Jaune, He… He really fucked you up, man." Xiao-Long sighed.

"I can feel it…" Cardin panted. "Has he… Has he been expelled or…?"

"No… Just removed from the dorms and standard classes. They're isolating him from the rest of the students."

"…That's… good… That guy… is a time-ticking bomb. When he explodes, no one better be around him…"

"…" Xiao-Long went silent for a moment.

Cardin closed his eyes.

His consciousness started to fade.

"You know… They say you can't ever be a Huntsman again."

Cardin's eyes snapped open. "…Who said that?"

"The nurse." Xiao Long answered.

"She doesn't know… what she's talking about."

"…"

"I'm going to be a Huntsman."

"..."

"I'm going to! You hear me?!"

"If you say so." She sighed.

She turned away from him to look through the window, hiding the expression on her face.

Fuck.

What was this bimbo bitch thinking?

 _They say you can't ever be a Huntsman again._

Cardin's heart squeezed as he panted harshly.

 _This can't be…_

 _Is my body that fucked up?_

Certainly, he did feel pain in every part of his body, and couldn't move a muscle… But, it couldn't be that bad, right?

No… No way… After all this training?

Cardin had struggled hard to get on the level of a Huntsmen in training, and had barely been accepted into Beacon.

He, a normal guy with no particular talent… had given blood and tears to gain his strength. To compete with the talented people.. the _special_ people.

All of it, to end like this?

"…F-fuck…" Cardin let out a growl unconsciously.

"…"

"…"

"Honestly, Cardin…" Yang began, "If you hadn't-"

"You shut your bitch ass up!" He snapped, making his pain spike wildly. "You think I can't do it? You think I can't become a huntsman anymore?"

"…"

"…I _will_ become a Huntsman. I will… I _know_ I will."

"…"

Cardin smirked at the ceiling, "I know for a fact that I will heal. I will not back down… I'm too angry for that…"

"…"

"That's right… Your semblance…" Cardin groaned, realizing something. "You, of all people, should know this, Xiao-Long… You should understand."

"…understand what?" Xiao-Long frowned.

"Negative emotions… make the soul stronger." Cardin muttered tiredly, "Anger, in particular… is the most powerful emotion. Just look at what Jaune did in a fit of rage… Negative emotions _do_ make people stronger."

"…"

"Because I am… a pretty negative guy… I will grow stronger… and heal my body."

"…"

"Jaune… That guy, he has a lot of negative emotions bottling inside… that's why he was so powerful when he snapped."

"…"

"…"

The silence lengthened between them.

 _She's speechless._ Cardin realized. _Not that I blame her…_

The common belief among Huntsmen nowadays is that negative emotions are bad because it attracts Grimm. However, the truth is, negative emotions also impacts the souls and the overall strength of people.

That's right, who is stronger? The one living happily without losing anything, easily carrying on with a life of luxury and pleasure?

Or the one going through the most terrible of hardships, yet still keeps moving forward?

It is the latter! That is a fact!

The wisdom and the traditions of Cardin's family had taught him so.

 _Negativity breeds strength… which is why I won't_ _give up on being a Huntsman._

As he meditated on these words, he felt an angry fire ignite within his heart once again.

Satisfied that he had reignited the flame of his pride, Cardin released a quiet sigh and fell unconscious again.

* * *

 **With Yang.**

"P-pyrrha…"

"Shhh," Pyrrha growled dangerously.

Yang winced as she looked away from Pyrrha who was standing right next to her bed.

It was the first time she had seen Pyrrha so pissed off.

Nora and Ren were standing in silence on the other side of her bed. Uncharacteristically, Nora had nothing to say. It seemed like she had already been lectured by Pyrrha.

"It would be one thing if you had gone after Cardin…The true culprit responsible for destroying Ruby's weapon." Pyrrha muttered, nodding to Cardin's body that was encased in plaster. The guy's eyes were closed, and he seemed to be sleeping.

"…"

"But you went after Jaune Arc, Ruby's _partner_." Pyrrha continued.

"…"

"The one guy that the teachers warned us about!" Pyrrha added.

"…I… I figured it couldn't be that-"

"Let me talk!" Pyrrha snapped, making Yang and Nora wince.

"…"

"As a result of your actions, not only Jaune has been removed from the normal student course, but Cardin has also been so injured that he may never fully recover… And you've broken your arm, too… And Nora broke her weapon."

"…"

"…"

"…I know… I fucked up." Yang sighed. "For my defense, everything was pointing at Jaune to be the one that destroyed Crescent Rose...!"

"Even then!"

"…When I saw my sister cry, I got mad…" Yang explained, "And I wanted to make the culprit pay."

This was not an uncommon train of thought. In a school for Huntsmen, brawls among students are very common.

Because of their Aura, people can start fights easily without suffering the same consequences as civilians. For many students, it's all considered good fun to punch each other in the face. It's a way to measure their own strength against their classmates.

But Jaune… Jaune, he's completely different from a normal Huntsman in training.

He can break through people's Aura, negate their semblance, and bypass their defenses to directly target their body… How scary was that?

Should he really be with them in this school?

"…"

"Hey, Pyrrha…"

"Yeah?"

"That guy, Jaune… He's dangerous."

"…"

"Since we never saw him fight, there was no evidence to back up what the teachers claimed." Yang muttered, "I was the second in combat class, I always won my fights… I was confident in my strength! I thought I could take him easily. I mean, he looks so weak! So when I attacked him recklessly, I didn't…"

"…"

Yang bowed her head. "I didn't think this would happen…all of this. If I had known…! I was stupid."

"I was the same." Nora pointed out, sending her a sympathetic smile.

Yang looked at Nora. "But because of me, Jaune broke your weapon…"

Nora waved her hand. "He just disassembled it, actually. It's gonna be put back together within a week. It's nothing compared to your arm..."

She sniffed. "Your poor arm... Yaaaang~!" Nora exclaimed and jumped at Yang's neck before anyone could stop her. She started crying on her shoulder.

"H-hey, don't cry on my hair!" Yang protested.

"W-we were so duuumb!" Nora ignored her and continued whining.

"You were…" Pyrrha sighed and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms.

"It's gonna take so much time for you to heal, Yang…" Ren mused.

Yang looked up to Pyrrha and Ren, who had worried expressions on their faces. _They are_ _mad because I'm injured… not because of what happened with Jaune?_

Yang smiled as she finally hugged back Nora. _As expected of my team, they are the best…_

"There, there," Big Sister Yang comforted the distressed Nora, holding her in her arms. She looked at Ren and Pyrrha. "Sorry, we didn't stop even when you tried to hold us down." Yang smiled apologetically.

"I'm used to it." Ren shrugged as Nora finally let go of Yang, to send an embarrassed gaze to her Ren.

Pyrrha's eyes turned sympathetic. "You should probably apologize to someone else, Yang…"

Yang's heart clenched.

"How… is Ruby?"

"She hasn't come to see you?" Ren asked.

"Nope."

"…Then she's even madder than I thought…" Pyrrha sighed.

Yang hummed. It certainly sounded like Ruby was mad. But...

"...But, she's gonna be all right?" She asked.

"I think so," Nora answered. "She's still eating cookies energetically!"

"Well, then, that's good!" Yang grinned.

"Yeah…" Pyrrha nodded, "Ruby lost her partner _and_ her weapon on the same day… and her dear sister broke her arm like an idiot." This made Yang laugh in embarrassment. It wasn't every day that Pyrrha was so crude with her words. "But somehow, Ruby is all right."

"…She's strong like that." Yang smiled proudly. "She's been through worse."

"Let's not forget what happened to Cardin, too." Ren pointed out.

"You're right, Renny." Nora nodded seriously. "At least something good came out of this whole mess!"

"…Goddammit, Nora." Ren sighed. "He's right next to us..."

It spoke of their opinion of Cardin that they all gave Nora a chuckle.

As she watched Nora argue with Ren about how Cardin deserved everything, Yang thought back to Ruby.

Yeah, her little sister was strong. That was true.

What Yang was really worried about, though, was Jaune. She was really uncomfortable with him being Ruby's partner.

 _Will Ruby really be able to handle him without getting injured? That guy is too dangerous._

 _She's already two years younger than the rest of us, isn't that asking too much of her?_

As she was lost in thought, Pyrrha suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Hey… It's okay, Yang." Pyrrha reassured. "Your sister will be okay. She has Weiss and Blake, they are pretty close together. You should take it easy… you don't have have to be the tough and reliable big sister right now, we'll be there to support you. Me and Ren and Nora."

"Yeah!" Nora nodded, "You can count on us!"

"N-nah…" Yang laughed awkwardly and shook her head, trying her best to give a wide grin. "I don't need much help you know. It's not the first time I break one of my limbs, you know! This will heal fast!"

Her partner smiled. "You keep telling yourself that."

"But if it doesn't…" Ren added.

"… You can lean on us until it does!" Nora finished with a wide grin.

"Awww! You're all too sweet!" Yang sniffed with a wide smile.

"Waaaaah!" Nora whined and jumped on Yang again, causing them to laugh.

Ah… What was this? Yang didn't have to be in charge?

 _Right… Ruby and I are in different teams... teams that will help us when we need it._

 _Yeah. For now, I'll take a rest._

"…"

"Yang."

Another voice suddenly called from the entrance.

Yang's heart froze at the sound of the familiar voice. Oh no, please no…

"My sunny little dragon~" Taiyang Xiao-Long greeted.

"Pfft." Nora snorted and leaned back, hiding her mouth behind her hands.

"…"

Just like that, Taiyang Xiao Long appeared out of nowhere to ruin the moment!

"Dad!" Yang gaped, surprised. "Did you come to see me…?"

"Hm?" Her father blinked. "No, I was just bored, and I had nothing to do." He shrugged. "So I dropped by to have a good laugh at ya."

"…" Yang grinned. "You _jerk_!"

The two of them laughed loudly as he approached the bed.

"I'm Yang's father, nice to meet you all!" He presented himself, "I see my little dragon has made some good friends~"

"Daaad!"

"Cute little dragon~" Nora repeated with a shit-eating grin on her face.

 _Oh god… I'll never live this one down._

"…Dad…" Yang sighed, "These people are my teammates. This is the wholesome Pyrrha,"

"Hello!" Pyrrha waved wholesomely.

"The crazy Nora…"

"Hello, sir! Wait, what did you say about me?"

"And the ninja Ren."

"…Good morning, sir." Ren nodded.

"Nice to meet you all," Her father waved his hand at them.

"…We should go, we have our classes in a few minutes," Pyrrha declared after checking her scroll.

"Indeed." Ren nodded. "Take care, Yang."

"Bye, sunny little dragon~" Nora laughed.

"You shut your mouth!" Yang called after them, as she shared a last smile with her team before they left the infirmary, leaving Yang and her father to chat on their own.

* * *

 **Pyrrha's POV.**

"Yes! That was juicy stuff!" Nora grinned on their way back. "Sunny~ little~ dragoooon~"

"Hmm," Pyrrha mused and noticed something on the ground.

Those were… rose petals?

She knelt to examine them, but they evaporated before she could pick one up.

Pyrrha smiled. _So, Ruby did come to check on her sister…_ _Was she_ _listening in_ _the whole time_ _?_

* * *

 **With Yang.**

"How touching," Dad mocked her, "It's been two months and you're already sharing such heartfelt smiles with your teammates. Aaaah, the spring of youth~…"

"Shut up, old man."

"Hey! Not the age!"

They shared another laugh.

"Sooo…" He grabbed a chair and sat down next to his daughter's bed. "Looks like this time, you bit more than you could chew, huh."

"Yeah… Why are you here, dad?"

"To see my beautiful little dragon, of course~~"

"I mean… Why are you _really_ here for." Yang asked, not buying it.

Her father sighed. "You're no fun today. Though I guess I can't blame you." He shrugged. "I'm here to replace Miss Goodwitch as a teacher for Combat Classes."

"…What?!"

"That's riiiight~ You're dear old dad is gonna teach your class~ It's gonna be so much fun!"

While her father was all happy, Yang's face had frozen in an expression of pure horror.

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

Jaune's training, like always, was useless.

Miss Goodwitch was working him hard, but it seemed all worthless despite the amount of time they dedicated to his training.

At lunch, Jaune and Miss Goodwitch would eat together.

Jaune was not allowed to go to the cafeteria or interact with other students.

After the disaster that happened with Cardin, it was understandable.

Still, though.

 _I want to talk to Ruby… and Weiss, and Blake. And I want to apologize to Yang and Nora…_

Jaune missed his friends.

 _I'm sure they must have fun together… Meanwhile, I'm stuck here alone._

The realization of how deeply he valued these three girls was falling on him.

But he was not allowed to see them.

 _And I want to see Cardin, too…_

Jaune kept wondering about Cardin.

Sometimes, he would look at his hands, and think about what he could do with these hands.

How easy it would be, to kill someone with these hands. Whether or not he would even have a say in it.

Jaune tried to not think about it too much. Despair threatened to overtake his mind every time he thought about it.

So, in order to avoid such dark thoughts, Jaune decided to devote his all to his training.

And so Jaune's training took place from the morning to the afternoon.

"Haa… Haa…" Miss Goodwitch panted, "How are you not… tired, Jaune? We've been practicing all day."

"Breaking things is much easier than fixing them, Miss Goodwitch." Jaune wisely replied.

"…Hmm… Yes, I suppose that's true." Miss Goodwitch chuckled. "This is good training for myself, as well."

Jaune smiled softly at her as he watched her take a deep breath.

At least he still had Miss Goodwitch to support him. Despite what he had done, somehow she managed to keep a high spirit and stick with him without losing faith. And she stayed positive, too. Jaune was grateful for all of that.

Though it wasn't the same as spending time with Ruby, Weiss, and Blake.

"Well, good work for today." She nodded at him.

"Thanks."

"You can rest until tomorrow."

"…I'm not tired, though," Jaune said.

" _I_ am tired, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch replied.

"..."

It was kinda weird, that when it comes to physical training, Jaune was the weakest, whereas, for Aura training, Jaune was the strongest.

"And you can't train alone without me containing and repairing the damages of your semblance," She added, "It would be too dangerous. That is all for today."

"…Okay…" Jaune nodded reluctantly. He had wanted to train more. But it couldn't be helped.

The evening, Jaune didn't have much to do.

He couldn't go to the library. If he wanted a book, he had to ask the staff to get it for him.

To eat, a member of staff also brought him lunch. Sometimes, Miss Goodwitch would eat with him, other times, she would eat with her colleagues at the cafeteria or somewhere else.

After only one day, Jaune already felt like he was in jail.

He couldn't go anywhere but his apartment and his training ground.

In such solitude, eventually, thoughts about losing control and blowing up everything would surge back in his mind.

This wasn't good… Just thinking about it was sickening. He needed to occupy himself.

"…Guess I'll train." Jaune groaned to himself.

He started doing his physical training in the evening rather than in the morning.

Training his body like this felt strange, as he was used to doing it with the rest of Team Rainbow.

He half-expected one of his teammates to run by him and explode his track record like they usually did.

Now, however, there was no one to compare his performance with.

So he just kept doing it until he was exhausted.

A tired mind will not wonder about past mistakes, or so Jaune hoped.

When he came back from his first day, Jaune was very tired and decided to go to sleep early.

…

…

…

… _I don't… want to die…_

…

 _My family. They're not like me… They're good people._

…

 _Every single time! All you do is break everything you touch, a disaster waiting to happen!_

…

Jaune could not sleep!

Thoughts about Cardin plagued his mind, along with the good old venomous words of Miss Crappert.

Though Jaune wasn't completely overwhelmed with guilt for Cardin… Jaune had injured people in the past, though not to this extent, he was still relatively used to it.

It was true that Jaune did feel bad about what he had done to Cardin, but what really plagued his mind, was the fact that he had lost control of himself; it represented a huge defeat for him. It proved that he could not change himself.

What if he lost control again?

That night, he kept changing his position in his bed, unable to find a comfortable position.

 _Knock! Knock!_

"…?" Jaune opened an eye at the sound of something knocking on the window.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Jaune sat up on his bed, frowning.

What was this?

Jaune walked over to the window and opened the curtains.

No one was there.

Eh?

"…"

Jaune narrowed his eyes and carefully opened the window, letting the cold air of the night enter the room.

"...?" He leaned forward to try to see if there was-

"BOOOH!" Ruby's face suddenly appeared upside down right in front of him.

"Ga-" Jaune was about to scream before she applied her hand on his mouth, muffling the sound.

"Sshhht, Jaune, we're gonna get caught!"

This girl! She was scaring him like this, yet she was shushing him right after?!

"…Ruby! Why are you upside down?" Jaune whispered in her hand.

"Cause I'm a ninja!" Ruby grinned, turning around and jumping into his room.

"What are you doing?!" Jaune hissed, worried. "You're not allowed here! You have to go back to your dorm."

"Nope!"

"…But…! What if a teacher catches you!" Jaune said.

"…Nope!"

Grinning, she closed the window and curtains.

"You don't seem very happy to see me~" She teased.

"I'm worried about you. You're breaking the rules…" Jaune insisted, even though he actually was very happy to see her.

"It's fiiiine." Ruby waved it off. "I'm the one who's worried! Weiss and Blake are worried! We need to know, how have you been doing, Jaune?"

"Good…" Jaune sighed. "I'm training with Miss Goodwitch… Though it doesn't seem to do any good, I continue to try my best."

"That's good, that's good!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "And when are you coming back to the team?"

"Coming back?" Jaune hesitated. He hadn't even considered that as an option. "Um, I'm not sure they would allow me back, Ruby…"

She crossed her arms and pouted. "What do you mean? They can't just keep you there forever…!"

"…Hmm." Jaune hummed quietly. "I mean, I guess they can always expel me for good if I mess up again."

"Nononono! Let's not think like that, okay!" Ruby shook her head wildly. "I'm sure they're gonna let you free after a while!"

"Sure, let's hope so." Jaune nodded, not believing that such a miracle could happen at all.

Ruby looked at him. "What about Cardin?"

Jaune winced. "What about him?"

"Are you… okay… with what happened to him?" Ruby asked.

"…I think about him." Jaune admitted. "Similar accidents already happened before, but this is the first time it's _this_ bad." Jaune sighed. "Cardin, he is a jerk, but he didn't deserve that…" Jaune looked away. He hurriedly changed the topic, "…Anyway, how long are gonna stay? You should leave soon before someone finds out you're here."

"Nope! I'm staying late~"

"Late?" Jaune widened his eyes, "How late?"

"Who knows," She shrugged and giggled. "Now come on, Jaune, I'll debrief you on what we've done today." She grinned, climbing into the bed and sitting up against the wall. "Come here!" She tapped the place beside her.

Jaune moved over next to her and brought the cover on himself.

"…How's Yang?" He asked.

"She's got her arm in a plaster cast." Ruby answered, "She's gonna need about a month before it goes back to normal."

"Oh… Tell her I'm sorry, okay?"

"Nope."

"What? Ruby…"

"I'm not telling her anything. I'm mad at her, you know." She pouted stubbornly, an expression of resentment on her face. "She was always a bit overprotective of me, but this time, she really overdid it. Punching you like that even though you didn't do anything wrong… And now… Now, look at where it got you!"

"But, um…"

"No buts." Ruby shook her head. "The one who broke my scythe was Cardin. So Yang's the one who has to apologize, she was in the wrong. She got the wrong guy."

"…I still broke her arm." Jaune pointed out.

"The teachers warned her about it!" Ruby replied, "She might as well have put her arm into a dust crusher, that idiot." She pouted.

However, even though Ruby said that, Jaune could see on her face that she was still concerned about her sister.

"Ah…" Jaune winced, feeling guilty that he was causing such conflict between the two of them. "There's no need to fight because of me… She's your precious sister, so you should make up with her, no?"

"…Haaa…" Ruby sighed as she looked at him, "You're so kind, Jaune." She smiled softly and laid her head on his shoulder, making him freeze for a second. "But, nope. When you told me it wasn't you, I didn't believe you. So I was in the wrong too…" She looked up at him. "And I want to apologize for that!"

"Ruby… Crescent Rose was precious to you, and you were shaken." Jaune smiled. He was relieved to hear her say that. "And knowing my power, it was understandable for you to assume it was me."

"Still!" She shook her head stubbornly, "As your friend, I should have trusted you…! I want to make it up to you!" She proclaimed, staring into his eyes with determination. "So I'm gonna have your back, and I'll make Yang apologize to you!"

Jaune winced. "But, I feel like I should be the one to apologize to her…"

"...Oh, Jaune…" She sighed on his shoulder. "You don't have an ounce of rancor within you, do you."

"That's not true… Sometimes, I can get really angry." Jaune said. "And I can't control myself. And... Well..."

"…It's fine, Jaune." Ruby muttered, "It's that way with everyone. Just look at Yang!"

"But my semblance…"

"Your semblance," She cut him, straightening up, "Is just another part of you." She poked his cheek with a finger, making him blink. "A muscle that you can't quite control yet. Everyone gets angry from time to time! And every time, our Aura reacts to our anger, our emotions. It's natural. You just have to get the hang of that muscle…"

"…"

Jaune remembered these words.

 _You see? Breaking things, is just another one of these weird characteristics! Everyone has his own uniqueness, his own peculiar quirk._

Yeah… There had been someone before, who had said the same thing.

But she was no longer here.

She had left.

After what happened to Cardin… Perhaps that Huntress had foreseen something like this would happen?

"No, it's different for me." Jaune eventually said. "I mean… Look what I did to Cardin… Other people, they can be stopped at least. But for me, I feel like I can't be stopped.

"That's why it's dangerous for me to feel anger or rancor.

"…I never know what could happen if I get stressed out. Because of this, Ruby, even though we're friends, I feel like I can never have a proper fight with you.

"So I've been trying my best to avoid confrontation."

She looked up at him.

"What... What do you mean?"

"Take that love letter, for example… Weiss and Blake, they were so dismissive about it, it was a bit insulting, to be honest." Jaune said.

"Uhuh…"

"I feel like a real friend would have argued with them or mocked them or…fought back, or said something." Jaune explained, "But I just left, because I didn't want to take any chances. Any kind of confrontation is risky for me, cause I can snap at any moment."

"…"

"…Because of this, I feel like we're not really very close as teammates, and friends," Jaune continued, "We can never have a fight… We can never argue. And I've seen it before, this will ultimately lead to dishonesty between each other."

"..."

"..."

"…Man… this sucks." Ruby sighed on his shoulder. "But you know what, Jaune… Did I do anything to bother you?"

"No," Jaune answered. "You did not."

"And you didn't do anything to bother me, either," Ruby stated.

"Hmm…" Jaune hummed, not sure of the veracity of her words.

"It's true!" She insisted. "If someone else had been my partner, I think I would have struggled a lot more to be a good leader…! You've always supported me.

"And seeing you work so hard, no matter how many times you pass out from anemia, or how many times you stumble… Seeing you running behind us and never giving up… Just seeing you like that, it's really motivating for the team, and it gives us courage. Weiss and Blake don't show it, but… we really respect you!"

"…That's kind of you to say that, Ruby." Jaune gave her a smile.

"I'm not just saying it! And trust me, these problems will go away once you've learned to hold you semblance back!" "She stated, giving him a thumbs up.

She sure was good with words, Ruby. She had a natural talent for making charismatic speeches.

It sounded so good, Jaune really wanted to believe in her.

"…Now," Ruby grabbed her bag, picking up her notes. "We shouldn't waste too much time, I can't stay here forever. Look, here's what we've done today in class, I'm gonna give you a recap."

"A recap?" Jaune blinked, "Okay..."

"You listen carefully, all right?"

"Yes!" Jaune nodded, although he was still feeling very tired from his day.

And so, Ruby started talking about what they had done during the day.

How Pyrrha had wiped out a whole team by herself,

What Grimm they had covered with Professor Port,

What they had studied in history with professor Oobleck.

How Weiss was still secretly hunting the people that were discriminating against Blake behind her back.

What weird motions Blake's cat ears did today.

How Ruby's father had come from Signal to replace Miss Goodwitch for Combat classes.

Jaune could imagine each of the scenes in his head. It made him wish he had been there.

As Ruby continued to talk, Jaune found it increasingly difficult to focus. He was exhausted and sleepy, and his eyelids felt heavy.

Still, this giant bedroom felt a lot warmer with someone else to share it with. So much so that he was able to momentarily forget his problems.

Jaune was touched. Ruby, this girl, she was so kind to him, despite the fact that he couldn't fulfill his role as a partner anymore.

How could she be she such an awesome partner? Even though Jaune was nothing but a weight.

Plus, there was something oddly nostalgic about her… Whenever he spent time with Ruby, it felt familiar, it reminded him of something in his past… Something that allowed him to relax.

"…over and- Hey, Jaune!" Ruby frowned at him when she noticed he was dozing off and poked his cheek again to wake him up. "Are you listening? Aaah, you must be exhausted, training your semblance all day, huh?" She smiled leniently, "It's okay. I'll just repeat a little slower. Try to pay attention! Okay?"

"S-sorry," Jaune mumbled.

"All right." Ruby nodded patiently, "As I was saying-"

As Ruby started talking again, Jaune had only one thought.

 _I want to spend more time like this…_

 _I can't stay alone like this forever. I want to go back to my team, somehow._

 _And to do that, I need to master this damn semblance…!_

* * *

 **Somewhere else…**

 _Jaune was falling._

 _Again._

 _The same slow fall._

 _Everything was still white._

 _After a while, Jaune landed softly on the white, solid ground._

" _Jaune."_

 _Jaune looked towards the voice._

" _Yang?"_

 _She stood there, smiling silently. Serenely._

 _Someone appeared behind her._

 _Her skin began cracking._

 _Jaune widened his eyes. He had seen this scene before._

" _No!"_

 _Before he could do anything,_ _Yang disappeared in dust smoke,_ _disintegrated by the same human-shaped wisp glowing white light, the one that had killed Cardin._

" _N-no… Why did you do this!"_

 _The shining man smirked darkly._

 _Deep fear took hold in Jaune's guts. He instinctively knew what was going to happen next, which caused him to turn around and flee, afraid._

 _The monster of white light followed after him._

 _Crack!_

 _Jaune felt his leg shatter._

" _Aagh!" He screamed in pain and fell._

 _He tried to crawl away, only for him to get picked up by the wisp, who smirked as he raised him in the air._

" _D-don't…" Jaune begged, struggling against his grip._

 _Another hand suddenly pat the shining man's shoulder._

 _The wisp's body flashed white and disappeared before it had a chance to finish him off._

 _Jaune dropped to the ground, whining in pain as his leg was still missing._

" _It's okay." A voice said._

 _He looked around frantically, eyes wide. Something had banished the monster?_

" _Jaune." Someone called. "Didn't we go through this already?"_

 _He looked up to the voice._

" _You…" He recognized._

" _It's me." The White-Cloaked Huntress nodded softly._

 _She had her hood on as always, so he could not distinguish her features clearly._

 _Her form was blurry, like an old, broken memory. Which she was._

 _She knelt beside him._

" _Listen, Jaune. Your curse is not a curse, it's a semblance._

" _Your semblance._

" _Breaking things, is just another part of you. Everyone has his own uniqueness._

" _You must not lose hope."_

" _But… How…" Jaune sighed._

" _You will find a way." She smiled. "This suffering will make you a better person. A kinder person. All this negativity will fuel the burning kindness inside your heart._

" _Do you understand? This is the true secret behind one's charm._

" _Be human!"_

…

…

…

"… _Be human… you say. But… Where are you right now?" Jaune asked._

"…"

" _You abandoned me, just like the rest." Jaune accused, "You didn't believe in your own words yourself. You vanished!"_

"…"

" _I don't know why you disappeared.  
_ _Was it because you gave up on me? Or was it because of something else?  
_ _But I've lost faith in your words. I still try my best to live by them, but I've grown unsure.  
_ _Your words are no more than a nostalgic memory, something I try to hold onto.  
_ _In the back of my mind, I always wonder why you stopped visiting me…"_

"…"

" _I tried to not think about it, all these years. After what happened with Cardin, though…"_

"…"

" _It's all clear now. I've destroyed his Huntsman career._ _You foresaw that something like this would happen, right…?_ _So you kept your distance._ _Is this not proof enough? It has to be it."_

"…"

" _I don't blame you. It's a natural reaction. Just… Don't speak about things you can't understand." Jaune demanded, looking away from her. "Stay away from me!"_

"…"

"…"

"… _What are you saying, Jaune."_

 _She grabbed his head softly, turning it towards her._

 _Her hood went off._

 _The face of a silver-eyed, mature woman was revealed._

" _It's me."_

"… _?!" Jaune widened his eyes._

 _The face transformed, her looks growing younger.  
The features softened, her height reduced, and her white cloak turned red._

" _It's me, Jaune."_

"… _Ruby?!"_

" _Don't give up, Jaune."_

" _I'm here."_

" _Jaune!"_

" _Jaune!"_

"Jaune!"

"Jaune! Are you in there?"

Jaune's eyes opened his eyes sleepily as he heard his name called several times.

"Jaune!"

It was Miss Goodwitch's voice coming from behind the door.

"Are you ready yet?" She called.

"Huh... Hm?" Jaune blinked repeatedly, still weirded out by his strange dream. "What?" He raised his voice.

"You overslept!" Miss Goodwitch said. "Hurry up. We need to train."

"S-sorry!" Jaune apologized, sitting up in his bed. "I'm coming!"

"Mrgbl?" A groan echoed beside him.

"…?" Jaune looked to the side.

Ruby was there, blinking sleepily.

Jaune gaped at her as she sat up and yawned next to him.

"…Good morning, Jaune…"

"…G-good morning."

"…"

She paused for a moment, freezing.

"Eh?"

She looked down at the bed sheets.

Then back at him.

"GYYAH-"

Jaune put his hand on her mouth. "Shhhh!"

"Jaune?" Miss Goodwitch called again. "What was that?"

"N-nothing!" Jaune raised his voice, thinking hard. "Just, uh… The bed screeching…!"

Ruby glared at him.

"Hurry up, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch demanded and walked away.

"What the hell?" Ruby hissed indignantly when he put his hand away. "The _bed screeching_ , Jaune, really?"

" _That_ 's what has you worked up?" Jaune widened his eyes, disbelieving. "We _slept_ _together_ , you doofus!"

"A-ah…" Ruby blushed bright red, "E-er… Y-you make it sound so bad, even though we did nothing else but sleep in the same bed…! And quite a large one at that!"

"You should be more mindful who you're sleeping with!"

"Eeeh, but isn't it fine if it's you?"

…This girl…!

"Ugh! N-no time to be embarrassed!" Jaune flushed.

"No, I'm over it already!" Ruby laughed, and pointed a finger at him, "You're the one who's embarrassed!"

"Whatever!" Jaune shook his head. "Quick, you have to go back to your dorm!"

"R-right!" Ruby nodded and jumped out of bed.

She hadn't changed out of her clothes for the night, so she didn't need to dress up. She quickly went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face, and then she opened the window and took a step on the edge.

"Don't get caught," Jaune warned her.

She turned back to him with a little teasing grin.

"What? You have to go." He urged her.

"Heheheee… Jaune, this situation, this forbidden meeting~... doesn't it feel a bit like Romeo and Juliet- _Oof_!"

Jaune threw her a pillow in the face, making her fall outside. She bolted away in a burst of rose petals right before she hit the ground.

Jaune closed the window and leaned against it.

Now that he had some time to recollect his thoughts, he once again remembered that weird dream.

"…What the hell was that…" He groaned, ruffling his hair with his hand tiredly.

A dream about the White-Cloaked Huntress.

But then she turned out to be Ruby?

"…" Jaune frowned. "Could it be… These two are related?"

...

Slowly, Jaune was piecing things together.

* * *

 **With Ruby.**

"Er… S-sorry I'm late…"

Her father crossed his arms and glared at her as the whole class watched them.

"Well, Ruby, I see you've volunteered to fight a spar."

"E-eh? B-but, my weapon…"

"Any good Huntsman should be able to fight decently without his weapon." Dad grinned widely, showing all his teeth. It terrified her. "And as it so happens, another one of your classmates had her weapon broken…"

"Y-you don't mean…"

"Nora Valkyrie." Her father called. "Please come on stage."

Ruby froze as she watched Nora jump down on stage with a wide grin.

She turned towards her and cracked her knuckles, smirking.

"U-um… Ahahaha…" Ruby laughed awkwardly, breaking in a cold sweat.

"Ready?" Dad asked them.

"No-"

"Yes!" Nora shouted over her voice and brandished her fists.

"Then, fight!"

Nora immediately dashed towards Ruby.

"Eeeeeee!" Ruby squeaked in terror.

* * *

 **Later.**

"Sorry, Ruby." Nora laughed. "Nothing personal~"

"Gaaah…" Ruby groaned painfully, lying on the ground.

Why was Nora so adept in hand to hand combat? Did she practice with Ren?

"That's what you get for being late to my class, sweetie." Dad laughed. "And admittedly, for neglecting hand-to-hand combat. You'll need to practice."

"Uuuuu…" Ruby groaned again.

"H-hey you!" Ruby heard Yang talk to Nora. "That was too harsh! You didn't give her any chance!"

"Oh come on, she can handle it..." Nora laughed it away.

"That was sloppy," Weiss critiqued when Ruby came back to her team. "Even I know some basic self-defense techniques of hand to hand combat. You really need to work on that."

"I knoooow…" Ruby groaned.

"More importantly, what about you last night?" Blake asked. "Did it go well?"

"Yeah, I sneaked to his room and managed to see him. Easy!" Ruby grinned, as she raised to finger into a 'v' sign. "He's doing okay for now!"

"That's good…" Weiss smiled, before whispering, "But I can't believe you stayed the night over there!"

"I was sleepy!" Ruby replied, shrugging.

"That was careless, Ruby," Blake said. "You're lucky you didn't get caught."

"Indeed. As for us, went to see the crater last night," Weiss said. "There were a few other teams checking it out as well. You didn't do it justice, that hole is _giant_."

"Yeah..." Blake nodded. "It's honestly frightening. How could one person do that on his own?"

"I know, right," Ruby nodded along.

"But it's also... kinda _exciting_ ," Weiss added.

"Exciting?" Ruby blinked at the word.

"So you're _excited_ , huh..." Blake snickered. "Now you're all turned on after seeing how _big_ it is, huh...?"

"Wh-wha?" Weiss blushed. "Y-you! What are you saying!"

"Do you want your crater to be filled, Weiss?" Blake asked mockingly.

"Bwah?!" Weiss went bright red. "B- _blake!_ " She exclaimed indignantly. "I didn't mean it like... like _that_!"

Ruby was blushing too. "S-so what did you mean it like, Weiss?"

"I meant as _Huntresses_!" Weiss huffed, which got the attention of both Ruby and Blake. "It is our _duty_ to help harness the use of such a powerful ability! In the future, we would be able to destroy entire hordes of Grimm easily! Explore Grimm infested continents! Uncharted lands! And kill the most ancient of Grimms!" She listed, fired up. "It will be a huge asset for humanity, therefore, as huntresses in training..." She put a hand over her chest, "It is our _duty_ to help Jaune master his power!" She proclaimed, before adding rapidly with a low voice, "And also, we'll become the best team and win the Vytal tournament."

Blake and Ruby shared a bored look together.

"Haaa, Weiss, Weiss, Weiss..." Ruby grabbed the heiress' shoulder, and drew her at her side.

"Wh-what?" Weiss flinched.

"You have a lot to learn, my dear friend..." Ruby sighed, "Team RABW is about much more than just Huntress duty!"

"That's right, in the first place, Jaune does not seem that interested in becoming a Huntsman." Blake nodded, a disappointed look on her face as she stared at Weiss. She shook her head and sighed. "Weiss, for you to think like that... I guess it can't be helped... It is the Schnee way of thinking..."

"Alas," Ruby tragically sighed along.

"H-hey, if you have a problem with my family, just spit it out!" Weiss huffed, offended. "A-and why are you all getting so blasé about? What's wrong with what I said?"

"Team RABW is about the four of us being BFFs forever, Weiss!" Ruby lectured, waving a strict finger on the heiress. "You cannot allow such impure thoughts in your mind..."

"However impure they may be," Blake added mockingly, making Ruby giggle.

"What's wrong with ambition..." Weiss frowned and crossed her arms as she watched Ruby laugh. Fed up, she suddenly said, "You stink, by the way, Ruby. Just inhaling your toxic air is enough to cure my cold."

"W-wah?" Ruby blinked in surprise. An unexpected angle of attack!

"...I was wondering about that, too," Blake admitted, sniffing Ruby. "There's that weird smell on you..."

Ruby blushed bright red and sputtered some incoherent words, before immediately escaping to the showers.

It was a good thing she had fought Nora as soon as she came back, and sweated profusely through the combat, or she'd have the smell of Jaune's bed all over her.

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

The routine of Jaune's daily training continued.

Every day, Miss Goodwitch trained him, even if they did not make much progress.

The evening, either Ruby, or Weiss and Blake would come to visit Jaune, but never all three at the same time. Someone always had to stay behind to guard the dorm, and unlock the windows when the others came back. Plus, the fewer they were, the lesser the chance of getting caught when sneaking around.

Today, Weiss and Blake were visiting.

"I don't know how this dolt made up her mind of staying here for the night… But _we_ are _not_ sleeping here!" Weiss stated coldly. "Right, Blake?"

"Of course not." Jaune nodded.

"Pretty sure he wouldn't do anything if we stayed, anyway," Blake shrugged indifferently, "Honestly, I don't really mind sleeping here. It's a big room, bigger than our dorm."

This made Weiss choke.

"Eh?!" Weiss gasped, blushing. "W-well then, I have to stay too!"

"…Why are you so nervous?" Jaune frowned at her. "Even though we've been sharing a dorm for a month before!"

"Th-that's true..." Weiss flushed. "But all four of us were there... If it's only two, it's different!" She tried to argue, blushing bright red in embarrassment. "That's why I have to stay!"

"I'm kidding, Weiss," Blake smirked, teasing. "I'm not gonna stay to sleep, I want the comfort of my own bed, thank you very much."

"Y-you…! You're impossible!" Weiss huffed, causing Blake to snicker.

Weiss tried to grab her, only for Blake to dodge and jump away.

Weiss tried again.

Blake jumped away again.

She had that smug little smile on her face. You know, that cat smile. That damn cat smile.

"..." Blake stared at Weiss, her smirk frozen on her face.

"...Hmf."

Weiss proceeded to ignore Blake for the rest of the evening, causing Blake and Jaune to share an amused look.

"Now, listen, Jaune." Weiss demanded as she turned to him, "I'm sure Ruby did a poor job of recounting you our lessons…"

And so Weiss started telling him about their day at school.

Weiss was a lot more ' _teacher-like_ ' than Ruby, who had been sharing the funny details with him in addition to the lessons. Weiss, in contrast, only focused on the lessons he had missed, rather than what had happened and what their group of friends had done today.

But Jaune didn't mind. This was Weiss, it was to be expected that she took a more academic approach.

As for Blake, she was staying with them and read quietly while lying on his bed, sometimes making a helpful remark or a snarky comment.

She didn't contribute much, but Jaune was still glad she came with Weiss.

"Guys… Thanks for your help."

"There is no need for thanks. I am just being the best teammate one can ask for." Weiss stated proudly.

 _Yeah, well, y_ _ou're not gonna top Ruby for that spot,_ Jaune thought but kept it to himself.

"Before we leave… Your training, how is it going?" Weiss asked him.

"Still the same?" Jaune shrugged.

"Yeah?" Weiss mused. "I was thinking about it the other day, and I got an idea."

"What is it?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Well, when you break someone's Aura, you cancel their semblances, right?" She asked him.

"Yeah…" Jaune confirmed, frowning.

"So that's when I realized… I'm not sure it can work but… Maybe…" She hesitated, "Use your semblance to break your _own_ Aura? So that your semblance stops working?"

"…" Jaune gaped at Weiss.

This… This idea… is just _insane_!

But in theory, it should work, shouldn't it?

"Wow, Weiss," Jaune began, impressed, "That might actually wo-"

"That's an extremely dangerous thing to do," Blake cut him, not liking the idea at all. "Not to mention… It's just wrong, and would not be different from something like self-mutilation."

"O-oh... Is that so?" Jaune sighed, disappointed.

"Of course." Blake nodded categorically. "You already have a bad connection with your semblance. If you start breaking your own Aura, it's only going to get worse. Not to mention, I imagine it would be extremely painful… And you would still break your surrounding environment, right? What's the point of stopping your semblance if by trying to stop it, you break your surroundings anyway?"

"Hmm…" Jaune mused. "I suppose you're right," Jaune admitted reluctantly.

"Y-yeah," Weiss winced. "Sorry I mentioned this… I guess it cannot work." She turned to him. "But I'm sure you will get it right eventually, Jaune." She smiled at him. "You may have received one of the worst educations, but when it comes down to it, you're actually decently fast at learning, and smarter than you seem. I have faith that you will figure it out!"

Oooh, Weiss being supportive and kind, what a rare sight! Did something special happen? What's the occasion?

Meanwhile, Blake had an approving look on her face for some reason as she watched Weiss.

"Right, time to go now," Blake decreed. "Good night, Jaune. Keep working on it."

"Good night, Jaune." Weiss nodded.

"Good night!" Jaune smiled.

When they left, he was back to his solitude, and the heavy silence of the giant empty room returned.

"Right... They already left..." Jaune sighed, looking at the window longingly.

* * *

 **Days later.**

One day, someone unexpected visited him at lunch.

"U-um…"

"You!" Jaune recognized the girl. "You're that girl… The Faunus!"

"Y-yes." She nodded hesitantly, 'My name is Velvet Scarlatina."

"I'm Jaune Arc." Jaune smiled, happy for the unexpected company. "Um, what can I do for you?"

"Um, no… I just wanted to apologize." She mumbled as she bowed her head. "Cardin made me write this love letter… So it's my fault that you've been isolated from the rest of the school… I'm really sorry."

"No, it's not your fault," Jaune protested, "They forced you to write that letter. It is completely my fault, I am just being fairly handled. I am a bit dangerous to have walking around the school freely at the moment, I understand that."

"S-still! I feel guilty." She insisted.

"I don't resent you at all. I accept your apology!" Jaune smiled.

"J-just like that?" She blinked, surprised. "But, I set you up…"

"Just like that." Jaune nodded.

"Juuuust like thaaat!" Coco Adel suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Coco!" Jaune recognized the girl.

"Rookie!" She smiled back.

"…It's Jaune…" He groaned, disliking the nickname.

"How are you doing, rookie? I'm accompanying my best girl Velvet here, cause she lacked the courage to go see you alone." She ruffled Velvet's hair and ears and clapped her shoulder. "Looks like you had nothing to worry about, huh? Just like that, it's forgiven, poof!"

"S-stop it, Coco…" Velvet groaned embarrassingly, trying to keep her hands away.

"Hey, rookie." Coco turned to him, "Between you and me… That Winchester asshole completely deserved it! The bastard was messing with our Velvet. You did good! It's a shame he didn't die, that little bitch!" She spat.

Jaune reared back from the spite. "H-how can you say that…! You're a Huntress."

"Yep. And you know what they do sometimes, rookie?" She asked. "They _kill_ people." She whispered as if revealing a conspiration theory. Jaune gave an appropriate gasp. "I know, shocking." Coco nodded, "But it happens. So don't act like everyone is a saint around here!"

"But… I came here specifically to learn not to do that." Jaune replied. "What happened with Cardin, it's a big failure, regardless of whether he deserved it or not. It could have been anyone."

"…Anyone dumb enough to push your buttons, that is," Coco pointed out.

It seemed she was really dead set on hating Cardin Winchester. Jaune could understand the feeling.

"...You probably shouldn't stay here too long." Jaune said, "A teacher will catch you."

"Right," Coco nodded.

"It was nice meeting you properly, Jaune!" Velvet waved her hand as she walked away.

"See you later, rookie!"

"It's Jaune!" Jaune called back after them.

They laughed and left.

...

From that point onwards, Coco and Velvet dropped by every once in a while on lunch period to chat with him.

* * *

 **With Glynda**

Glynda hummed quietly as she observed the various footage from the cameras of Beacon.

On her scroll's screen, was displayed Jaune channeling his semblance on various moments.

Sadly, the cameras in the Emerald forest got broken when Jaune snapped and made the crater, so the recordings were lost.

But she was still reviewing the other moments where Jaune had channeled his semblance.

She narrowed her eyes as she switched perspective. There must be something…

There!

He's closing his eyes.

He's… calming down. Relaxed…

And his semblance followed his feelings… and calmed down as well.

He claims he has no control over his semblance, yet his semblance follows his feelings…

In other words… This training, they had been doing it all wrong.

It was not about controlling the semblance, or the Aura.

It was about managing his feelings and emotions.

 _But…We are already doing that._ Glynda frowned. _He meditates. Every day. He should be able to control his emotions, at least to a degree…_

So what _was_ the problem?

Well… There definitely was a fear of breaking everything he touched. Constant fear is extremely stressing in the long term.

Like spasms. Randomly breaking items.

But even then the semblance does calm down after breaking them… Why is that sometimes his semblance stops, and other times it doesn't? Was it random?

This semblance defied all reason.

Let's see... The fact was, Jaune _knew_ how to channel his semblance. That was the only thing he knew for sure.

So rather than learning how to use it better, as they tried until now, he should train to learn how to stop it altogether, especially after what happened with Mr. Winchester.

To do that...

What if… What if he learned to meditate _while_ channeling his semblance?

A constant state of peacefulness, not just during his seances of meditation, but all day. This should stop it, right?

Glynda's eyes narrowed. If so, then a new training method was necessary.

 _However, this is going to be very risky. Channeling his semblance to its maximum potential, and let it go wild will be required for it to be meaningful…_

In short, this training should teach Jaune how to stop his Aura's rampage, should he lose control of it. It was not something that would make Jaune better at controlling it, it would just teach him to shut it down.

Glynda closed her eyes and sighed.

 _This... isn't what how Ozpin wants me to train him... But..._

 _I'm sorry. I have no choice. It sounds like an insane idea, but it's worth a try._

* * *

 **With Jaune.**

"Today, we will have a special type of training." Miss Goodwitch began. "This will be extremely exhausting for you, so do not hesitate to tell me if you need breaks."

"Yes."

"Not that you would need any breaks," She chuckled. "Since... You know."

"...?" Jaune blinked in confusion.

"Since you have no problem breaking things." Miss Goodwitch explained.

"..." Jaune stared at her.

"Anyway..." She coughed in her hand, "The reason we came here-"

"Oh, I get it!" Jaune cut her, his eyes widening. "I don't need to take breaks! That _is_ funny." He acknowledged.

"Yes. Well." Miss Goodwitch's eye twitched, apparently upset that he didn't laugh, yet called her joke 'funny'. "I was trying to relax you, since we're going to attempt something rather dangerous. As I was saying, this new training method is the reason we came to the Emerald Forest."

She took a few steps back, distancing herself from him.

"U-um…?" Jaune hesitated, unsure.

"Now, Jaune… You're going to channel your semblance." She said.

"What?"

"To get control back, you need to get used to losing control, first. I will contain the damage the best I can, and make sure no bits and pieces are thrown towards Beacon." She assured. "You can use your full power. Go ahead."

What…? Something like this...

"But, um…" Jaune hesitated, not liking the idea at all. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, don't worry." She nodded, taking a dust crystal out of her pocket.

With a wave of her crop, a series of pink glyphs appeared all around her.

"I will need all the power I can get..." She explained, focusing.

 _Miss Goodwitch using her full power?_

"Okay…" Jaune accepted, seeing how much she had prepared for this. "But you should distance yourself further, then."

"Very well." Miss Goodwitch nodded and stepped back ten extra meters.

He waited for her to finish setting up her glyphs.

There were so many glyphs, it formed a giant pink dome around them.

She was channeling the Dust crystal's power to amplify her energy, pushing the limits of her abilities.

Once she finished, there were several layers of pink Glyphs in place around them.

Jaune gulped, mildly raised his arms and widened his feet, lowering his stance to the ground for better balance.

Having gotten used to shattering the ground, it was a stance in which he was able to keep his balance relatively intact.

Jaune took a deep breath.

She gave him a nod.

Jaune took a final, shaky breath of nervousness,

and channeled his semblance.

 _Crack!_

The ground shattered, cracks spreading like a web around his feet.

Immediately, the damage was contained by Miss Goodwitch's telekinesis and glyphs.

"Keep going, Jaune!" Miss Goodwtich called. "You're still holding back. You need to let it go wild!"

"Haaaaaa!" Jaune screamed, releasing all restraints.

 _Crack! Booom!_

The trees around him were blown away. The first layer of glyph instantly shattered, and Miss Goodwitch had to surround herself with stronger glyphs to shield herself.

The ground below Jaune's feet collapsed, creating a crater that was growing deeper and wider the longer he channeled his semblance.

"Good! Now, try to stop!" Miss Goodwitch yelled, "Try to meditate, to relax! It should calm down your semblance!"

"O-okay!"

Jaune closed his eyes, and tried to close the valve.

Nothing happened, of course.

Everything continued to break apart around him. The second layer of glyphs broke apart.

"St-stop…!" Jaune called, trying to gather his semblance back together. "D-dammit!"

"Jaune! You need to stop!" Miss Goodwitch called.

"I'm trying!" He shouted was a hundred times worse than the bullhead crash.

"Don't try to stop your semblance itself! Try to calm _yourself_ down, not your semblance! Think back to the meditation!" Miss Goodwitch suggested, "Try to reach that state again!"

"…C-crap…" Jaune panicked, finally losing his balance and falling on his butt in the middle of the crater. "I… I can't contain it!"

His Aura was rushing out of his body endlessly. All the layers of pink Glyphs shattered one after the other, powerless.

Jaune panted harshly as he felt a sharp pain surge in his chest… his heart was racing, he breathed with difficulty, and he felt dizziness along with a sense of fear and impending doom overwhelm his mind.

In other words, he had a panic attack!

Jaune had absolutely no control!

"Agh!"

Miss Goodwitch's voice was still coming through, but he could no longer make sense of her words.

And his body was getting hot.

Jaune looked at his hands in panic. They were covered in a thick, white halo of Aura.

He had never seen so much Aura.

"Argh… It-it burns!"

His hands were burning.

F-flames…

There were flames. White flames.

Jaune screamed.

Something ignited within him.

 _No!_

 _Not this time!_ _I refuse!_

 _Crack!_

A loud crack resonated in Jaune's ears as he focused all of his willpower on himself.

 _I will not endure this anymore! I won't!_

 _Reach down deep! If I can't stop it…_

 _Weiss... I'm going to try your idea!_

 _Crack!_

 _Whether it's right or wrong, whether it's healthy or not... These things_ _mean nothing to me!_

 _Stopping my semblance is my only objective! No matter the cost!_

 _Crack!_

Jaune screamed in agony and clenched his eyes closed as his own Aura was attacked by his semblance.

Channeling his power inside his body, rather than outside!

 _No more!_ _That's it, I don't CARE!_

"AAAAaaaaaahh!" Jaune roared.

 _CRACK!_

Cracks spread around the halo of white light wrapped around his body, breaking the momentum of the destructive force, extinguishing the white flames, and causing excruciating pain in his whole body, making him cringe violently.

For a moment, the pain was so intense, like needles that had been dipped in alcohol had been jammed through his skin. The feeling shot up through his body and exploded in his head with a blinding whiteness, and made Jaune lose all sense of perception of the world around him.

…

…

Eventually, the pain slowly faded, and Jaune opened his eyes, panting.

He was in the middle of a little crater. Much smaller than last time.

His brains and body were hurting so much, that it felt like it had split in two.

But... his semblance had gone back under control.

...

His semblance had gone back under control...

...

His semblance... had gone back under control?

"Ugh…" His body ached. "I… I did it?" He breathed, looking at his palm. "I broke my Aura… I negated… my own semblance."

His Aura eventually reappeared and the white light slowly spread through his limbs once again to heal his body.

Almost timidly.

"Jaune."

Jaune turned his eyes towards the voice.

Miss Goodwitch was walking over to him.

 _Limping_ , actually.

Her right arm was broken, her skin had turned a dark blue. Some of her clothes were torn apart and she was covered in dirt. Her glasses were missing, and her hair was let free.

"…" Seeing her like this, Jaune felt a spear of ice stab his heart.

"You did… well." Miss Goodwitch panted and smiled at him, her face strained by the pain. "You got it under control. At the last moment."

"…"

"This is good, Jaune," Miss Goodwitch insisted. "If we keep this up, you'll get used to-"

"No."

"What?"

"No!" Jaune raised his voice. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Jaune…"

"No. This is over."

"You can't-"

"No. I quit. It's useless!"

"But, Jaune-"

"I said NO!"

 _Crack!_

The ground under Jaune cracked loudly, ominously.

"M-maybe... take a day off." Miss Goodwitch tried.

"...No." Jaune refused. "We can't continue this. Ever."

"..."

"..."

"...We'll see about that later..." Miss Goodwitch breathed, "For now, let's take some rest."

"..."

They both remained silent as they walked back to the teachers' apartment.

Jaune glanced at Miss Goodwitch who was walking beside him.

"I'm okay," she smiled at him.

"..." Jaune looked away.

He was upset. Even though he had finally progressed, he had ended up injuring his benefactor Miss Goodwitch in the process.

 _I can't change..._

As he walked, he suddenly stumbled.

"Aouch!" He groaned and fell on the ground.

"Jaune?"

"M-my legs..." Jaune whined in pain.

He looked at his legs.

They were trembling and hurting, glowing of Aura.

It was painful... but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it?

Why? Why was it hurting so much?

His Aura lit up again.

 _Dzzt..._

Another jolt of pain rushed through his body, making him contract all his muscles.

"G-gh!" Jaune gritted his teeth.

"Jaune!"

He slowly stood up as his Aura was continuing to spike. Under Miss Goodwitch's eyes, he took a step forward.

 _Dzzzt!_

"AAAh!" He cringed in pain, falling on the ground again.

"Jaune! Are you-"

"I'm okay!" He groaned, sending her own words right back at her.

"..."

This time, the pain had shot through his whole body.

 _...Is that the consequence of breaking my Aura?_ Jaune realized as he looked at his body glowing a soft, white light. _This training is doing more bad than good...!_

With difficulty, Jaune managed to stand up again.

That's right, this absurd training method… It was way too dangerous, in the first place. He should have never agreed to it.

Back then, if he hadn't broken his Aura in time… He would have… to Miss Goodwitch…?

"…Jaune..." Miss Goodwitch sighed as she watched him worriedly.

"..." Jaune remained quiet.

As she accompanied him, Jaune slowly limped back to his apartment while his Aura was slowly calming down.

 _Yeah… I'm tired of this… It's not worth it. Let's stop this._

* * *

 **A/N: ****I know people expect Jaune to somehow instantly improve after coming to Beacon, but it's not gonna magically happen just like that. There needs to be a transition period to get a sense of growth. Also, I'll point out that Jaune _did_ improve in this chapter, he just doesn't focus on the good things and only sees the bad.**

 **Next chapter: In a week or so.**


	8. Turning Point I

**A/N: So I watched Dark Phoenix. That movie treated themes similar to this fic, so it was interesting for me. But I feel like 1h50 was not nearly enough. You can't do Dark Phoenix in one movie, that's just impossible. They did okay with what little time they had, though.**

 **Anyway, here we go.**

* * *

 **Turning Point I**

* * *

"Jaune…?" Miss Goodwitch called from behind the door.

Jaune had locked himself in his room.

"Jaune, I assure you, I'm okay." Miss Goodwitch's voice continued.

"…"

"My arm will heal rapidly. But we can't stop the training just because of that."

"…"

"…Well. It's okay if you want to take the day off. We could explore other training methods too when you're ready."

"…"

"I'll… come back to check on you later, okay?"

"…"

"…See you later, Jaune."

"…"

Jaune shifted under the covers of his bed.

This was good, he now had more time to think and take a decision.

He had so much to think about. Everything was unsure. The only thing he was certain of, was that he did not want to hurt Miss Goodwitch again.

So he stayed in bed all day.

Even when Miss Goodwitch came back, he stayed in his bed.

Even when Weiss and Blake came to knock on his window, he stayed in bed.

* * *

 **Later.**

Jaune still refused to get out of bed. It's been a while since he hasn't eaten.

Yang's arm, Miss Goodwitch's arm, Cardin whole body. It was playing in a loop. No matter what he does, someone always gets injured.

If his training involved hurting Miss Goodwitch, then Jaune didn't want to do it anymore.

So, the question was, what should he do now? Jaune had absolutely no idea what to do. No matter how hard he thought about it, in all the scenarios he imagined, someone ends up hurt.

Continue the training? Miss Goodwitch gets hurt.

Training alone? Way too dangerous. There was no place where he could train alone and expect Grimm to stay away without eating him if he went unconscious again. Not to mention he knew nearly nothing about Aura, it was best to have someone like Glynda around to both give him advice and contain the damages. No matter what, Jaune could not imagine himself going around alone destroying things, it sent shivers in his spine.

Stop training? Then what? If he could not train, then why even stay in Beacon?

Quit Beacon? His team would kill him. And if he left Beacon, where would he go?

Try to work a normal job? Again, someone would get hurt eventually.

What was it, that Jaune could do in a safe manner? There had to be something. Something…

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

Jaune groaned under his covers.

It was probably one of his teammates knocking at the window.

"…"

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"…"

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"…"

 _Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

"…"

"…"

"…"

Hours passed. Someone kept knocking on his window every now and then. Jaune still did not answer.

"…"

 _Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

"…"

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

 _Knock. Knock._

…

…

…

…

…

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

"J-jeez…!"

Jaune sighed, and with a monumental effort, he stepped out of bed.

If this continued, the teachers in the building were going to hear, so Jaune opened the window.

Ruby was there, teary-eyed.

"Ruby…" Jaune sighed and widened his eyes.

It was raining, and she was all wet.

He hadn't noticed… The whole time, Ruby had kept knocking at his window, waiting for hours under the rain.

"Th-thank god!" She gasped, falling in his arms.

"Y-you're freezing…" Jaune worried, carrying her shivering body inside. He untied her hood and cape and put a hand on her forehead. Her skin was so cold. "You should have gone back to your dorm. Now you're going to get sick!" He raised his voice, "What were you thinking!"

"I-I thought you were no longer there…" She muttered weakly. "I thought they expelled you for good…"

"No… Even if I skipped Miss Goodwitch's training, they didn't expel me yet." He reassured her. "You're trembling…"

Jaune helped her walk to the bathroom and turned on the shower pit, letting the water some time to heat up.

"Here. I'll get out now, you have a nice, warm shower." Jaune said as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Th-thanks…" She nodded.

As the bathroom's door was broken, she could not close it and lock it, but she didn't seem to mind.

"…"

Soon Jaune started hearing the sound of dripping water from the shower.

 _What should I tell her?_ He wondered as he paced around the room. He had no idea.

For now, he decided to prepare some hot chocolate for her.

Though Jaune himself had not eaten in quite a long time, he still made chocolate for Ruby.

Jaune was used to not eating and staying shut in his room for long periods of time. This whole thing was nothing new. He had done it plenty of times. This was why he was still able to think relatively rationally and try to think up a solution to the current situation, despite the hopelessness he was feeling. He was calm, simply because he was used to this feeling of hopelessness.

He reached out and grabbed a cup, filled it with chocolate and milk, and put it in the microwave. He waited a minute before it was ready, and pulled it out.

"Aouch, aouch aouch!" He winced.

Too hot, too hot! Jaune quickly put the cup on the table.

He looked at the skin on his hand. It was intact: his Aura had protected him.

"…?"

However, weirdly, he did not break the cup. Even though the cup had hurt him.

"Huh…?" Jaune frowned in confusion as he looked closer at his hands.

A white halo appeared around them, answering his call. How strange, his Aura was there and had protected his hand, but did not retaliate against the cup?

At that moment, the sound of dripping water disappeared, and he heard Ruby step out.

"The towels are in the second drawer." He called.

"Mmh…"

As she dressed up, Jaune eyed the cup again.

 _Was that just luck, or…?_

He picked up the cup again.

"Aouch…" He winced at the heat again, but maintained his hold.

He raised the cup in his hand to examine it as his skin was burning, the pain on his fingers slowly intensifying. His Aura appeared to protect them from the burn, but it did not shatter the cup.

"…What… Why is this?" He whispered to himself, frowning. "This feels different…"

At that moment, before he could think more on it, Ruby stepped out of the bathroom, looking exhausted.

"…What are you wearing?" Jaune asked as he put down the cup.

"My pajamas…" She answered, scratching her head awkwardly.

Jaune narrowed his eyes. "…Don't tell me…"

"I am staying the night." She stated, sending him a glare.

"But..."

"That is non-negotiable." She insisted firmly.

"…Okay then." Jaune sighed, figuring he couldn't argue with her stubborn nature. "Here, have a hot chocolate." He offered instead.

"O-oh! Thanks!" She smiled.

"Careful, it's hot," Jaune warned.

She sighed contentedly as she sat at the table and started sipping the chocolate, being careful not to burn herself, and blowing on it.

"…Since you really want to stay here for the night, I'll leave you the bed." Jaune declared as he watched her.

"No. This is a giant bed that could fit a couple of teams!" Ruby stated, "We can both sleep in it, easily!"

"B-but, a guy and a girl sharing a bed, isn't it a bit…"

"It's fine since I'm the one asking for it," Ruby smiled. "And I've decided that you're a gentleman, dear partner."

Jaune scoffed. "Ho-how do you know that? All guys are secretly perverts, you know."

"You didn't peek in the shower," She pointed out, "So that's fine with me."

"…That means nothing." Jaune replied, unimpressed.

"Uuugh," She growled tiredly, "Come on, now, don't be stubborn…" She sighed and finished her cup. "I'm exhausted…" She stood up and quickly got into the bed. "Warm…" Ruby sighed under the cover.

"…Hey. This is my bed. How are you not embarrassed?" Jaune asked.

"If it's you, then I have nothing to fear." She replied, grinning widely. "You're harmless!"

"…"

Jaune just sighed and slid into the bed with her. He was very uncomfortable with this situation.

"..."

As the silence stretched, Jaune thought again of Cardin, Yang, and Miss Goodwitch.

And then his thoughts drifted to the future, and how uncertain all of it was.

"…"

He let out a sigh.

"…What's wrong, Jaune?" Ruby asked eventually.

"…"

"Why are you staying locked in your room?" She questioned.

"…It's… I don't really know." Jaune shrugged, unsure, "I'm trying to figure things out myself."

Locking himself in his room was something he had done plenty of times; at this point, it might as well have been a reflex.

"But why? You were fine a couple of days ago!"

"It's Miss Goodwitch, she tries so hard to help me." Jaune said, "But I've broken her arm and her crop."

"Yeah, I've heard about it," Ruby nodded.

"So you know." Jaune nodded, and continued, "I didn't mean to hurt her... and I don't want to hurt her anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. What if she gets hurt so much that she can't carry on as a Huntress anymore, like Cardin…?"

"…Jaune..."

"It's… It's stuck in my head. I can't carry on like this."

"…"

"…"

"Even so… I don't think you should stay locked in." Ruby mused.

"But how can I face her?" Jaune asked.

"You're facing me, right?"

"Because you kept pestering me."

Ruby giggled. "It worked, didn't it?"

"…I guess…"

"I'm such a good leader~" She laughed.

"Hmm..." Jaune hummed in agreement.

 _Would a leader really go so far for his teammates? No... I'm pretty sure only Ruby is like this._

"Ah... _Achoo_!" Ruby suddenly sneezed. "G-gah, sorry…" She sniffed.

"Looks like you caught a cold." Jaune commented.

"Y-yeah…" She nodded and pulled out a tissue. "A-ah, I shouldn't be in your bed…"

"Don't worry. I can't get sick."

"H-huh?"

"I can't get sick," Jaune repeated.

"B-but what about your motion sickness… and your anemia?"

"Those are not… Uh… Those are different. I can't get infected by bacteria, is what I mean." Jaune rectified. "I mean, I can, but they never last long."

"R-really…" Ruby sniffed, her nose stuffed. "You… You're so strong…"

Jaune chuckled dryly. "That's gotta be the first time I hear that."

"…"

They fell quiet again.

"…Jauuuune, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Not really, no," Jaune said bluntly.

"There's gotta be a way I can help."

"…You're already helping, Ruby." Jaune smiled.

"I want to do more! W-we're BFF, right?"

"You never told me what that meant…"

"Best Friends Forever!"

"…Forever…" Jaune mused quietly.

There had been someone who had helped him like that, too.

"...!" Jaune widened his eyes as he suddenly remembered.

That dream! The White-Cloaked Huntress! Now was the moment to ask!

Jaune sat up against the wall, adjusting his pillow behind his back, and turned to Ruby.

"…Ruby, can I ask you something?" He asked hesitantly, "It may be a bit personal."

Ruby sat up too, "What is it?"

"In your family, is there a white-cloaked Huntress?"

Ruby's expression froze.

"Someone that kinda looks like you?" Jaune continued. "Your mother maybe?"

"How… How do you know about her?"

"So there is?" Jaune perked up, his heart skipping a beat. "She… I know her! Where is she? U-um, if it's okay, I'd like to see her…"

"…How do you know her?" She repeated.

Jaune looked away. "It was twelve years ago…"

* * *

 _ **Twelve years ago.**_

" _Waaaah!"_

 _Five-years-old Jaune was crying._

" _Waaaaaaaaah!"_

 _The village was being attacked by Grimm. Yet no one had bothered to grab Jaune: t_ _hey had been too scared of him since he was being emotional, they had feared that he would break their limbs._

" _Waaaaaah!" Jaune, as the ignorant child he was, continued to cry loudly._

 _But there was no one around. Except..._

" _Grrr…"_

 _It was the first time Jaune was seeing Grimm._ _Attracted by the negativity, the monsters gathered around the child._

 _However, before they could attack, a blinding silver light vaporized them._

" _Here, child. It's okay."_

 _A white-cloaked Huntress had appeared, smiling down at him._

" _Waaaah!" Jaune cried again..._

" _Shhh, shhh."_

 _She managed to calm him down. Kneeling to his level, she put her arms around him in a hug to carry him and take him away from the devastation._

* * *

" _M-miss Huntress!"_

" _It's me again! I've come back to see you."_

" _To see me?"_

" _Yes, to see you! What's your name, little goofball?"_

 _"J-Jaune..."_

 _"Jaune..." She repeated, "...no last name?"_

 _"..." The child stayed quiet. He had no last name._

 _"Jaune," She tasted the word on her tongue, "Jaune, Jaune, Jauuuune~ I like it!"_

 _"...Y-you...?" The child asked back._

 _"..."_ _The Huntress stayed silent for a moment as she considered the question. "It's a secret."_

 _"A secret?"_

 _"Some bad people are searching for me, so it's better if you don't know my name._ _But you can keep calling me... Miss Huntress. Okay?"_

 _"Miss Huntress..."_

 _"Now, Jaune, wanna play a game?" She smiled at him._

" _M-mmh…" The boy looked away and acted like he didn't care._

 _He could not trust this nameless woman…_

* * *

" _M-miss!"_

" _It's me again~" She smiled, "Look what I've got for you~"_

" _Cookies!"_

" _Yep!"_

 _Jaune happily ate his cookies._

 _It had been several weeks since the Huntress had started visiting him._

" _Miss, why do you always come to see me?" Jaune asked. "You must be very busy…"_

" _I'm a Huntress, Jaune." She smiled._

" _I thought Huntsman just saved people from the monsters. I'm not in danger…"_

 _She knelt down to his level._ " _That's true. But… Are you not in danger?" She asked him, patting his cheek, "I think you're in grave danger, Jaune."_

" _Eh?" Jaune blinked at her, suddenly worried. "M-me?"_

" _Yes._ _Your future is in danger." She explained, her eyes glinting with a silver spark, "It's true that Huntsmen save people, but you know what else they save, Jaune?"_

" _N-no..."_

" _Their soul!"_

 _Jaune gaped at the grinning Huntsman._ " _Their soul…" He repeated._

 _"Yes... I can feel your soul crying for help. It is so chaotic... My poor child..." She mused, her voice full of sadness as she was placing her hand on his chest, over his heart. She smiled at him, "Do not worry, Jaune,_ _I will teach you meditation. This will help calm down your power…"_

…

 _She was right._

 _Meditation did, somewhat, calm down his power._

* * *

 _The Huntress kept visiting him again and again, d_ _espite the fact that the boy never once asked her to come back._

 _Why did she keep visiting Jaune? This nameless huntress. There had to be more important things than him._

 _But no, she kept dropping by._

 _And, little by little, t_ _he Huntress gained the child's trust._

 _After some time, one day..._

 _"Miss Huntress, why do I always break everything? I want to be like other kids..."_

 _"... _Listen, Jaune. Your 'curse' is not a curse, it's a semblance! Some people say that Semblances define personality.  
__ _ _But, they are wrong! Do not listen to them! Semblance and personality are not connected.  
__ _ _Just because you break things doesn't make you any less human, Jaune.  
__ _ _Some people are fast, or strong, or smart,  
__ _ _Some are clumsy, or weak, or bad with words…  
__ _ _Some even spread bad luck.  
__ _ _You, you break things.  
__ _ _Do you see?"__

 _ _"Hm, hm." Jaune nodded, listening with his full attention, drinking her words.__

 _ _"Breaking things is just another one of these weird characteristics! Everyone has his own uniqueness, his own peculiar quirk."__

 _"_ _ _R-really?" The eyes of child-Jaune widened, full of hope.__

 _"_ _ _Of course! Everyone is unique! You must embrace that part of yourself, fill your heart with resolve, and continue to live positively!  
__ _ _It may be hard… It may be tough. You will suffer for sure.  
__ _ _But this suffering will make you a better person. A kinder person. This will fuel the burning kindness inside your heart!  
__ _ _Do you understand? This is the true secret behind one's charm.  
__ _ _Be human!__ _ _That is all."__

 _ _Jaune gaped at the woman who was smiling softly at him, her words resonating within him.__

 _ _Those were the words that influenced his way of life.__

 _"_ _ _U-um… Could I maybe see you again sometime?" He mumbled timidly.__

 _ _That day, for the first time, Jaune asked her to come back.__

" _Of course, Jaune." She ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'll never stop dropping by to see you, little goofball."_

 _With these words, the Huntress finally opened his heart, and the little boy jumped on her and hugged her with all his strength, making her giggle in surprise._

 _He didn't want to let her go. G_ _ripping her with his arms and legs like a claw, he just would not let go of her!_

 _That day, it took hours for the Huntress to manage to get him off her and give him back to his foster family._

* * *

"And so she visited me every other week." Jaune finally finished his story, "I'm grateful to her, she inspired me, she's the reason why I was able to live a relatively normal life with... with decent morals."

"…"

"But, one day, she just… vanished." Jaune shook his head, sighing. He gritted his teeth. "She… Even though she told me she wanted to help me, she left!"

"…"

"And some days, I wonder why she left. I really want to know… After what I did to Cardin, I can't help but think she had foreseen this outcome, and decided that leaving me alone was for the best."

"…"

"I… I'm still grateful to her, but… I would like to see her, Ruby." Jaune demanded

"…She didn't give up on you, Jaune." Ruby said.

"Huh?"

"That person was my mother. Her name was Summer Rose." She declared, "The reason she stopped coming to see you was because she went on a mission far into the wild-lands."

"…Oh… What about after the mission?" Jaune questioned.

"...She never came back."

"…"

Jaune blinked and looked at Ruby. Her eyes were full of sorrow.

"O-oh." He realized with a low voice, his heart sinking. "She's… She's dead…"

"…" Ruby stayed silent.

As the silence stretched between them, Jaune's first thought was a selfish one.

 _So, she didn't leave me on her own volition._

She had never given up on him, huh… She would have continued to visit him.

Yeah… Yeah! She had believed in him until the end!

Jaune felt an immense relief realizing that. Years of questions and doubts had just been answered! The pain of not knowing what happened to her was finally ended, and his heart relaxed.

Yes! The trust he had put in her had not been misplaced. Someone had believed in him! The Huntress had been telling the truth after all! She had been an amazing person!

Yeah!

Yeah…

Such a person…

…is _dead_ , huh.

"…"

"Her name was Summer Rose." Ruby spoke up, "She was best mom."

"…"

"Best huntress, too."

"…"

 _Why? I've just learned that she died…_ _After all this time, I finally got an answer…_ _So why does this sadness feel so good?_

Jaune took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from spilling tears. The soul-crushing realization that his role-model had died was falling on him.

Yet at the same time, he was relieved. Unlike the time he had been crying on Miss Goodwitch's shoulder, this sadness was taking a burden off his shoulders.

Ruby nudged his shoulder. "She believed in you, from what you've told me, right, Jaune?"

"…Yeah." Jaune sniffed.

"So you can't give up now!"

"…"

"If you give up now, you'll bring shame on her name," Ruby stated seriously. "You _must_ live up to her memory!"

"…you're right." Jaune nodded. "Of course, I can't give up!" A smile appeared on his face. "I won't give up, for her memory!

"And for my sake, too." Ruby pointed a finger at him.

"Huh?"

"Jaune…I will continue what my mom started!" A glinting spark ignited in her silver eyes, the same as her mother, "My mom may not be here anymore, but I am! So I will be the one to save your soul!"

"…" Jaune gaped at her, speechless.

"We ended up as partners, Jaune." Ruby continued quickly. She couldn't be stopped anymore, it seemed. "How's that for a coincidence? This must be _fate_!"

"F-fate?" Jaune repeated.

"That's right, do you not believe in _Destiny_?" She questioned, and without letting him the time to reply, she continued relentlessly. "And I'm your friend too, you understand?" She shook his arm. "I also believe in you, not just my mom! And I'll continue to support you, just like she did!"

Jaune straightened up, a little overwhelmed by what his partner was saying, "R-ruby…"

"A-a-a-ah! Nope, nope, nope! It's over, now. It's oveeeeeer!" She proclaimed as she stood up on the bed, a fire lit up within her soul. "Aaah!" She growled like a beast, so fired up that her red Aura started shining around her body, "Nothing could give me more determination! This is why we were placed on each others path, Jaune! We're gonna be the best Huntsmen, you'll see, and I will stick with you until the end!"

"U-until the end?" Jaune blushed, staring at her.

"Until the end!" She repeated, raising her voice over his. " _Until. The. End!_ Even if you're expelled I'm gonna quit Beacon! It's not just about _you_ anymore! So you better not disappoint me and my mom! You hear meeeeee! Jauuuuune!"

Jaune gaped in amazement as Ruby started screaming, pretty much going crazy and shaking his body to get her point across.

What the hell? Was learning that her mom had visited him so many times in the past _that_ big of a deal for her?

 _No… It's not just that._

Ruby didn't want to help him just because he was her partner and best friend anymore. Now, it had become even more _personal_ , so to say.

 _She_ _also_ _wants to continue her mother's legacy…_ Jaune realized. _And_ _Ruby probably thinks that… I am her mom's legacy_ _._ _Could it be that_ _…? Am I the only thing that_ _Summer_ _left behind?_

"…"

As he watched Ruby continue her rant, jumping on the bed and gesticulating to try to get her point across, Jaune smiled.

In the end, despite learning about Summer's death, Jaune did not cry.

He was sad, but at the same time, he had finally gained back his old motivation, the one that Summer had helped him develop... until she disappeared. But Ruby had helped him get it back.

And as he watched her rambling, he noticed how heavy-hearted she was, too. On the verge of tears, actually. This obviously was a huge deal for her.

So, Jaune wanted to be there for her, the same way she had been there for him.

 _Yeah… From now on, I'll support her,_ Jaune decided. _I'll help her._

"Okay, Jaune?!" She aggressively poked him with her fingers repeatedly, "And don't even _try_ to get away from me!"

"…I wouldn't dream of it." Jaune said, raising his hands in the air as if he was held at gunpoint, "I'm not gonna leave, now, Ruby. You're stuck with me."

These words seemed to calm her down.

"Right! S-so… Y-yeah…" Ruby panted as she observed him, completely exhausted. Apparently satisfied in what she saw, she fell back on the bed, sinking in her pillow. "G-good… Phew..."

"…"

Jaune leaned back in his pillow, too.

After seeing how fired up Ruby had been, somehow, Jaune felt like she just needed to unload.

So he decided to question her.

"…How was she like…?"

Ruby sighed and started talking about her mom and role model Summer Rose.

Jaune asked many questions, and also talked about the ' _Miss Huntress_ ' he had known, and what they did when she came to visit him.

However, Ruby was the one who did most of the talking. In fact, Jaune had never seen Ruby talk so much. It was like by asking that one question, he had _broken_ a dam within her, and now she was spewing out words after words after words.

Even though Ruby had been so young at the time, she seemed to remember it all. She kept talking and talking, always finding things to say. Sometimes repeating the same thing. Yet she kept going.

Though Jaune was surprised by this unexpected outburst, he listened to all of it.

…

They ended up talking about Summer for hours, and Ruby talked and talked and talked, so much that her throat started hurting.

Eventually, when Ruby ran out of things to say...

"Haaa... I-I'm so happy," She sniffed, "At home, we don't really talk about her… But I'm glad I'm able to talk about her with someone. Someone who understands the pain of not knowing whether she's dead or not… Or whether she abandoned us or not like Yang's biological mother…"

"Yeah…" Jaune smiled sadly, "It was tough, not knowing for sure, wasn't it?"

"Y-yeah…" She teared up once again as she stared at him. "It... It _is_ tough..."

Jaune's heart squeezed at the sight of Ruby on the verge of tears, slowly breaking apart.

"E-even now…" She spoke up, "S-some nights, I still wonder… I-I'm still not entirely sure…if she's… if she's really…"

Jaune widened his eyes. "…Ruby…"

Acting on instinct, he drew her into a hug.

"E-even Yang and my dad don't know about this." She continued, "They thought I was too young to understand, but… s-since we don't talk about her at home, I never… I never…"

 _Oh my god…_ Jaune widened his eyes _, She hasn't properly coped with her mother's death…?_

How long had she, the happy, cute and cheerful Ruby, been bottling that up?

… _As long as me_ , He realized. _Except, she was younger than I was. H_ _ow can she smile like she d_ _oes_ _all the time? Compared to me… She's much stronger._

Up until now, Jaune had seen Ruby as this amazing figure with unwavering spirit. He was a fool to think that way; Ruby was a normal person, too. She too could break down in tears just like he did. She was only fifteen after all.

But, to think she had been hiding this? Something this big?

"…Ruby." Jaune spoke up, breaking the hug and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"…?" She looked at him with her wide, shining silver eyes.

As he opened his mouth, Jaune's words suddenly got stuck in his throat.

 _Come on! Say it!  
_ _Someone. Someone has to say it for her.  
_ _But, what if Summer is actually… Come to think of it, Ruby never confirmed me that she was dead… She just mentioned that she never came back, right…? There is no dead body, no proof._

Jaune shook his head at the treacherous thoughts.

 _No… It's been too long… That's just wishful thinking. I need to think about Ruby first.  
_ _For us to move on, I need to say it._ _The reality is, Summer Rose…_

Jaune gulped and took a deep breath.

"She's… She's _dead_ , Ruby." Jaune managed to say, through a conscious effort.

Just stating it like this, as a fact, caused his heart to sink, and made him want to cry. It didn't help that the wide silver eyes in front of him were also filling themselves with tears.

"…"

Ruby leaned on his shoulder and started crying. Jaune put his arms around her and did his best to comfort her, trying to replicate whatever Miss Goodwitch had done to comfort him.

…

It was weird, how things turned out. Jaune had been the one depressed, and Ruby had come to help him get over it.  
Yet, she was the one who ended up crying, and Jaune the one to help her. Their roles had been swapped.

…

…It didn't take too long before Ruby cried herself to sleep.

* * *

 ** _Somewhere..._**

 _Once again._

 _Jaune was falling._

 _Everything was white._

 _As he softly landed on solid ground, Jaune immediately noticed something was different._

"…"

 _He looked around._

 _Was he going to see Cardin? Yang?_

 _Or Summer Rose?_

 _Or that wisp creature that would disintegrate him in a heartbeat?_

"…"

 _He walked._

 _He searched. In this white emptiness._

 _There was no one. Nothing._

 _Jaune was alone in this infinite world of whiteness._

"… _Hello?" Jaune called, "Helloooooo?"_

 _No one answered. It was terrifyingly silent, and there was not a single bit of wind, either._

 _This white dimension was completely empty._

"… _Why… Why am I dreaming of this empty white space?" Jaune wondered, confused. "I don't understand…"_

 _Why was he even aware of this dream, in the first place?_

"…"

 _And why did it feel like something crucial was missing?_

* * *

 _Knock, Knock._

Jaune opened his eyes, woken up by the sound of someone knocking softly on his window.

"…"

He sat up in his bed. Checking the hour, he noticed it was almost midnight.

Looking at his side, Ruby was still sleeping soundly.

Jaune grabbed the cover and pulled it back over her neck. Then he put a hand on her forehead. It wasn't too hot. It seemed like a normal temperature.

"…She should be okay." Jaune muttered to himself as he stood up.

He walked over the window and opened it. The air of the cold night entered the room, and he looked down at the ground.

"…Blake?" He recognized, surprised.

"Hi, Jaune." She greeted quietly, and with a swift jump, she climbed inside.

She straightened up. "I came here to check on Ruby. After it rained so much, and she was not coming back, Weiss and I started to worry since you hadn't opened your window last time we came."

"R-right… Sorry about that. Ruby... She's in my bed." Jaune answered.

"…" Blake stared at him, silently judging him.

"…Wh-what?" Jaune flushed.

"…Nothing." She gave him a little smile and went to check on Ruby.

"She's sleeping," Jaune said. "Though she may have caught a cold, I don't think it's too serious. I gave her a hot chocolate, too." He added. "Very hot."

"Uhuh." Blake hummed quietly as she raised an eyebrow at him, putting her hand on Ruby's forehead.

Jaune flushed and turned to the window. He leaned outside,enjoying the cold air of the night.

He closed his eyes as chills surged in his body.

 _Ah…_ _I fee_ _l_ _so good._

Jaune had never felt so relaxed in his entire life.

 _Serenity_. The knowledge of what had happened to Summer Rose had brought him serenity.

He was grateful to her. And he was not going to let her down – nor Ruby. Not after the trust they had placed in him.

"…Somehow, I feel like I can do anything." Jaune whispered softly to himself.

Almost _unnatural_ confidence was building up within him.

Jaune raised his hands and manifested his Aura. His arms started glowing a soft white.

Even his Aura felt calm and relaxed. Though there was something strange about his Aura. He could not put his finger on it, but his Aura… Was it just the fact that he had never felt so relaxed in his entire life?

Was this why his Aura felt so… different?

"…"

Jaune decided to assume it was because he had not felt so relaxed in such a long time that it felt like this.

"…"

He looked up into the night. Curiosity, hope, and apprehension filled his mind.

 _I need to see for myself…_

"Blake," he called.

"What is it?" She looked up at him.

"I'm going for a walk." He said.

Jaune stepped over the edge of the window and jumped down.

"Oof!" He landed in a clumsy way. He really needed to work on his landing strategies.

Soon after, Blake followed after him.

"I'm coming with you." She decided, looking down at him. "I know all the paths to not get caught by the cameras."

"All right," Jaune nodded easily and stood up.

Followed by Blake, Jaune left his apartment.

* * *

 **Later.**

Jaune and Blake stepped into the Emerald forest.

"I'm not supposed to leave my apartment…" Jaune said, a bit nervous. "But I just can't resist."

"Don't worry about it," Blake whispered, carefully observing their surroundings.

"…"

Jaune looked around for a bit, and picked up two twigs from the ground.

One in each hand.

Jaune closed his eyes, exhaled softly, and channeled his semblance, willing it to break only the right twig.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

 _Crack!_

The twig in his right hand eventually snapped.

It was a soft snap.

The one in his left hand… remained intact.

"…" Jaune looked at the ground below his feet.

The ground hadn't cracked, either, like it usually would when he channeled his semblance.

"Ah…Hahaha..."

Jaune sat down on the ground and started laughing. For the first time, his semblance had obeyed him without any problem.

"…"

Blake said nothing for a moment, before she patted his shoulder.

Jaune looked up at her.

"…Should we go back?" Blake asked quietly, her cat ears flat on her head as she watched him.

"…No." Jaune shook his head, making her ears twitch. "There's one more thing I need to do… But I'll really need your help this time."

"…Got it." Blake nodded easily, without asking questions. "You can count on me."

* * *

 **Later.**

"All right, Jaune. Are you ready?" Blake asked.

"Yes." Jaune nodded as he put on his hood.

Jaune and Blake were going to infiltrate the infirmary.

This was to see Cardin.

Though Jaune's heart was now at peace, he still needed to see Cardin.

For a mission like that, Blake was the expert of infiltration. She was perfect for sneaking through the night.

"Let's go." She whispered.

Jaune and Blake started walking towards the infirmary's building, while Blake debriefed him.

"I know where the cameras are," Blake muttered. "But the building of the infirmary is more guarded. We're gonna have to be extremely careful."

"Got it."

"Watch your steps. Keep an escape plan in your mind. We do not want to get caught, especially since you… uh… since you just had a breakthrough."

"Okay," Jaune nodded, "But I can't see much in the dark."

"Don't worry, I'll guide you." She replied.

Jaune stared at Blake. "…You seem used to this, Blake."

"I've sneaked around plenty in the past, yes," She admitted.

"Well, thanks for the help." Jaune smiled gratefully at her. "Let's do this."

"…" She paused to look at him for a moment. "You've… changed."

"Wh-what?"

"It's just… I was surprised when you said you were going for a walk." She explained, staring at him, "Before, you would have never broken the rules by yourself."

Jaune laughed, and pointed a thumb at his chest, "These times are over now. I'm the master of breaking things, you know! Rules included."

Blake chuckled. "For you to say that so proudly… You've really changed. That's refreshing." She smiled at him. "Now, let's go."

"All right."

"Remember. Stay composed. Remain positively silent. Just follow me. And…" She smirked at him, "Don't break anything."

Jaune rolled his eyes and nodded silently.

The two of them continued heading into the direction of the infirmary's building.

* * *

 **Later.**

With Blake's help and her night vision, they easily bypassed the cameras and infiltrated the building of the infirmary.

However, arriving at the door.

"It's locked… Of course." Blake slapped her head.

"Do you have lock-picks?" Jaune asked.

She stared at him. "What do you think I am, some kind of thief?"

"Aren't you a cat ninja?"

"N-no!" She protested, flushing. "I-isn't that racist?"

"Dunno," Jaune blinked, suddenly worried that he might have come across as racist. He hurriedly changed the topic. "I-I can open the door, though."

He applied his hand on the door's window.

"J-Jaune, wait…!" Blake gasped.

 _Crack!_

The glass broke. And _only_ the glass. Jaune reached his arm through and grabbed the door's lock on the other side, unlocking the door.

"It's open…" Jaune smiled in relief and turned back to Blake.

Blake had knelt on the ground and was covering her head with her arms, eyes clenched closed.

"…"

"…"

"Hm?" Blake opened an eye and looked around, surprised.

"…H-hey…" Jaune pouted. "Did you really expect me to blow up everything again?"

"No," She obviously lied, looking away.

"Liar!" Jaune accused and reach for her shoulder.

She swiftly dodged, of course, and then looked at him, fascinated. "You… You really got out of your edgy phase, huh."

"H-hey!" Jaune protested, trying to hit her again. "You're one to talk! You're always sassy!"

She dodged with a shadow clone and rolled her golden eyes at him, which basically proved his point.

"Come on, we shouldn't linger here too long." She told him and stepped into the infirmary.

Jaune followed after her and closed the door behind him. The two of them approached Cardin's bed.

"Who's there?" A groaning voice asked in the darkness.

Blake's yellow eyes turned to Jaune, waiting for him to say something.

"It's me," Jaune spoke up, stepping forward.

"Jaune…" Cardin breathed.

As Jaune came close to the bed, his heart clenched. Cardin's entire body was in plaster. His breathing was loud. Leaning over him, Jaune was able to distinguish two tired eyes watching his movements.

"You… look like shit." Cardin stated.

"Y-you look worse..." Jaune replied.

"I wonder why…"

Jaune didn't flinch at the snarky comment. Instead, he raised his hand and manifested his Aura to shed some light into the room to see better.

"Aa-aaah!" Cardin panicked. "Aaaaa-AaAah!"

"S-sorry…!" Jaune winced, immediately switching the light off.

"Haaa… Haaa…" Cardin breathed heavily, eyes wide. "Why… did you come here?" He asked.

"…" Jaune hesitated. "To, uh… To see you?"

"Y-you've seen me… You… You can leave now…!"

"…"

Jaune didn't move.

"Cardin…"

"…"

"I am… sorry." Jaune eventually apologized.

"…Hah," He chuckled. "Liar…"

Jaune bowed his head.

"Tell me, Jaune…" Cardin spoke up. "Did you… feel bad… after what you did?"

"… Yeah." Jaune answered easily.

"But you didn't feel bad for _me_ , right?"

"...I did…"

"Liar. I know you don't care... what happened to me."

"…"

"You felt bad for yourself."

"…"

It was true that it was the fact that Jaune lost control of his powers that had really upset him.

However, he had still felt guilty for what happened to Cardin. He had felt bad for him... but not _that_ much, honestly.

Because, the truth was, Jaune _hated_ Cardin.

"Did you feel bad when you bullied me... or Velvet?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah," Cardin answered.

"..." Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"I did." Cardin insisted, "But, it was necessary. That rabbit had no confidence in herself... Someone had to step up to make her change. Make her realize what world we live in."

"..." Jaune gritted his teeth. What kind of reasoning was that?

"And you, too." Cardin continued, "You definitely needed that push, didn't you?"

"..."

"Still, aside from all of that," Cardin groaned, "These negative feelings you felt… did they make you change?"

"What?" Jaune asked, confused.

"Did you change?" Cardin repeated again. "Or… was it all… for nothing."

"…" Jaune frowned, remembering the twigs from earlier. "I changed… I think I changed… Yeah."

"I knew it…" Cardin chuckled, causing him to cough. "Negativity makes people stronger…" He sighed in satisfaction. His breath shortened as he was growing more tired. "Is it a _good_ change?" He asked Jaune.

"…"

For some reason, Jaune remained silent. He was unsure.

Logically speaking, it was indeed a good change. He now had some semblance of control over his Aura. Yet… He was not sure if he could call it a ' _good'_ change.

Something was missing, somewhere. He was not sure what. He was glad, but… At the same time, he was uncomfortable.

Maybe he was just not used to having such control over his Aura. His semblance breaking things on its own had become an integral part of his life, so now that it was taken away… This was a new feeling.

Perhaps, Jaune was simply scared of this major change in his life.

"I… I am no longer dangerous." Jaune declared, feeling weird for saying something so unusual. "I won't break everything I touch anymore. That's… That's a good change, right?"

"Oh…" Cardin sighed.

"…"

"Yeah... I think it's… a good thing... For us common people... at least..." He drawled, "I... didn't take the fall for nothing..."

With these words, Cardin closed his eyes and fell asleep right then and there.

"…" Jaune continued to stare at his face for a moment. His expression looked kinda serene, same as Jaune's current state of mind.

 _Looks like we're both at peace._ Jaune mused, surprised.

"Hey," Blake pat his shoulder, making him turn to look at her yellow eyes. He had almost forgotten that she was there. "Jaune… It _is_ a good change. I can tell."

"Yeah…" Jaune grinned hesitantly. "It is, isn't it."

"Of course. Come on, now," She muttered softly. "We should go."

They left the infirmary and returned to their respective rooms.

* * *

 **With Blake.**

"Phew," Blake sighed as she closed the window of her team's dorm.

"So? What happened?" Weiss asked her when she came back.

Blake smirked. "Jaune took Ruby into his bed after she got all dripping wet."

"..."

"Oh, and she blew on his milk, too. It was very _hot._ "

"..."

Weiss blushed bright red. She hid under her cover to continue reading her book - Ninjas of Love - while Blake snickered quietly.

Teasing Weiss was so much fun~

* * *

 **The next morning, with Ruby.**

"Ruby…"

"Grmbl…"

"Rubyyy…"

"Hmm… What is it?"

"It's time to wake up."

Ruby opened her eyes. Jaune's grinning face was leaning right over hers.

"Gaaah!" Ruby gasped.

"Good morning, Ruby!" Jaune greeted as he straightened up. "You have school in one hour, so I woke you up. Your breakfast is ready."

"Wh-what?" She blinked sleepily. "Oh… Right…"

She sat up, got out of her bed and yawned for a moment before she walked to the table and sat down to eat.

"I want some hot chocolate!" She whined like a spoiled brat.

"Hot chocolate, got it." Jaune nodded and immediately went to make one.

"…" Ruby blinked sleepily and smiled as she watched him move around.

She had immediately noticed it, of course.

The way he was moving was confident, decisive. His overall stance had changed, he even looked taller. And, most importantly, he did not flinch every time he grabbed an item. He was not as careful as he had been before, he was not scared of breaking these items.

Though he was still very meticulous when handling stuff. Old habits die hard.

"Mhh, mmh, mmh…" Jaune even hummed a tune under his breath. The expression on his face was loose and open, with a light, serene smile. It felt like he was happy. Simply happy.

Ruby could understand how he was feeling. She was happy, too, that they had finally talked things out yesterday.

Jaune put a cup of chocolate next to her. "There you go."

"Thank you, Sebastian." She nodded with an overly pompous tone.

"…Sebastian?" He blinked.

"Indeed." She took a sip of her hot chocolate as if it was some kind of refined tea. "As my new steward, your name will now be Sebastian. Because all the good stewards are named Sebastian."

"Oh, er… I'm honored, Miss Schnee." He said, scratching his hair.

Ruby giggled. "What about you, you don't eat?"

"This is all the staff has given me," He shrugged.

"Let's share it then. Come on, Sebastian!"

He smiled and sat with her. "How's that cold doing?" He asked her, "Are you feeling good?"

"Fine, fine." Ruby brushed it off. "What about you?"

"…I've improved." He just smiled humbly, obviously keeping himself from acting overexcited.

"Huuuuh~~" Ruby drawled, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you keeping something from me, dear Sebastian?"

Jaune shifted nervously for a moment under her gaze, before finally breaking into a full grin, unable to keep a straight face. "I-I've had a breakthrough last night, Ruby! My semblance, I can hold it back now! I should be okay!"

"That's wonderful!" Ruby laughed, a massive feeling of relief washing over her. "I _knew_ it! Of course, it's just like _she_ said, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." He nodded, and looked at her. "About that, are you okay now?"

"Never better!"

"If you need anyone to talk..."

"I know, Jaune," Ruby smiled gratefully. "I'll just go to you."

"...Right," He nodded awkwardly.

After that, they started chatting merrily as they ate what little food they had.

Eventually, they finished their tiny breakfast, showered, and dressed up. As Ruby was getting ready to leave, she turned back to him.

"Hey, thanks… for yesterday." Ruby thanked him, bowing her head.

"I should be the one thanking you," Jaune grinned. "Besides, it's just like you said. We're partners, so there's no need for thanks between us."

At that moment, he raised his hand, and he ruffled her hair.

"…" Ruby stared at Jaune. "Oooh, wanna play that game? Don't treat me like a kid!"

She jumped on him and started ruffling his hair back!

"But you _are_ a kid!" Jaune laughed as he tried to get her off him.

"I am not!" Ruby protested as she tried to act offended, and continued her assault.

"Then stop calling me Sebastian!"

"Gaaah!"

An epic battle began between the two, as they tried to ruffle each other's hair.

Being stronger and faster, however, Ruby quickly overwhelmed him.

"Do you give up, Jaune? Do you give up?"

"Aah! I give up! I give up!" He surrounded.

Ruby let him go. They exchanged a glance and started laughing.

"Haaa…" Jaune sighed heartily, running his hand through his now chaotic hair. "...You should really go now, Ruby."

"Yeah…" She sighed, looking at him.

They just had a fight.

Between the two of them, they just had a silly fight. Without his semblance retaliating!

To be honest, Ruby didn't mind being pat on the head at all. It was actually a guilty pleasure of hers! However, she had wanted to start a fight with him, just for the sake of starting a fight. To prove that they could if they wanted!

Ruby sniffed. "Waaah!" She suddenly tackled him to the ground, "I'm so glad, Jaune!"

"Gah!" He gasped under her weight. "H-hey! I-I'm very happy too, but you're too heavy! A-and why are you hugging me all of a sudden?" He shifted awkwardly in her grasp.

"You shut up, just let it happen!" Ruby demanded as she tightened her grip around her partner.

She had been so worried that she would have to continue four years without a partner. She was relieved things were finally turning out to be all right.

 _This boy… Mom's will lives through him._ Ruby thought to herself. _I won't let him down, no matter what._

"C-come on, now… You're gonna be late." Jaune mumbled.

Ruby straightened up and looked at his embarrassed face. "You're gonna be okay, now, right?" She asked, just to be sure.

"…Yeah." Jaune nodded, "It's over now." He smiled softly, "All thanks to you."

Ruby blushed and jumped away from him. "O-oh, s-stop it..." She mumbled, waving her hand, "Sh-shut it, I-I haven't done much," she babbled, flustered.  
She had never been good at dealing with compliments. "B-besides, you helped me too…" Ruby mumbled, remembering how much stress he had vented on him yesterday.

It sure had felt good, unloading everything about mom like that.

"All right, come on now." He pushed her away gently. "If we continue like this we're still gonna be here tonight. And we can't sleep together like that another time, it's really becoming a bad habit."

"R-right…" Ruby flushed and stepped on the edge of the window. She paused to look back at him. "U-um..."

"...You just don't want to leave, do you?" Jaune shook his head as he stared at her, grinning.

"I-I'm leaving!" Ruby replied quickly, "And next time, I'll bring some video games. See you later, Jaune!"

"Yeah." He smiled and waved his hand at her. "I look forward to it!"

And so, Ruby went back to her dorm.

* * *

 **Later.**

"And so, Jaune should be okay now! Isn't that amazing?" Ruby was explaining to her other teammates.

"..."

"..."

"...What?" Ruby blinked and asked at Weiss who was staring at her with a blush on her face.

"N-nothing!" The heiress flushed and hurriedly looked away. "Th-that's good for him, of course! But the methods you used to achieve such results... That's- That's just too much, Ruby!" She accused, "What were you thinking? You are _fifteen_! And the least you could do is get your _hair_ back in order!"

"Eh?" Ruby raised her eyebrows. "What? What methods? We just helped each other unload some deep stuff. It really wasn't much..." Ruby shrugged, and grinned widely, "And let me tell you, Weiss, it felt sooo good! We both really needed that, you know."

"..."

Weiss blushed bright red again, quickly fled to the bathroom, and locked the door.

"...?" Ruby tilted her head to the side, very confused. "What's with her?" She asked Blake.

"Dunno," Blake shrugged innocently and turned away, hiding her snicker.

* * *

 **With Glynda Goodwitch.**

Glynda adjusted her arm's plaster as its position was getting uncomfortable.

She sighed as she checked the hour. The training was supposed to have begun an hour ago.

"Miss Goodwitch." A voice called.

Glynda turned in the voice's direction and widened her eyes.

"…You came." Glynda greeted Jaune with a relieved smile.

"I came." He nodded. He looked at her arm, "I'm really sorry for that..."

"I've had worse. Do not worry." Glynda brushed it off.

She raised an eyebrow as she took a moment to observe him.

 _Something has changed about him._

The look in his eyes. It seemed like he had gained some determination. His stance, too. He was oozing confidence.

And also… Well…

"What in the world happened to your hair?!" She gaped.

"Ah…!" Jaune blushed in embarrassment, raising his arms to try to get his air back in order, "I, uh, nothing…! I-I just tried to let it go wild…!"

"...Don't let it go wild." Glynda advised, making him blush even more. She shrugged, shaking her head. "Jaune. Are you ready for training?" She questioned. "Same as last time."

"Ah, yes! I am ready!" He answered without hesitation.

Glynda's eyes narrowed. "What… if you injure me?"

The question had to be asked.

"…" Jaune bowed his head humbly. "If I do, then I apologize in advance." He smiled. "But… I don't think I will."

"Oh? Why is that?"

He grinned. "Because I can feel it. I've changed. I've finally gotten some closure."

Closure? Who was he referring to?

"I just feel a lot better." Jaune continued. "I haven't felt so relaxed in a while. I've re-ascertained something that I had heavy doubts about. Now I finally feel serene."

"You do seem a lot more relaxed." Glynda smiled at him.

"Among other things," He nodded.

…Regardless, this was an unexpected development. For the first time, Glynda felt like Jaune was finally, truly determined and motivated to improve. A change of mindset could easily make the difference. This was really good.

But it seemed like it was more than just a simple change of mindset. This Jaune… felt like an entirely _new person_.

"Looks like you've finally found some resolve," Glynda acknowledged, to which Jaune laughed a little. He was _this_ relaxed? "But do you actually have a plan?" She asked.

"Just an idea I want to try out," Jaune said.

"Oh?"

He merely smiled, staying quiet.

"Hmm… We shall see." Glynda allowed, "Now, let us start, Jaune. Show me the extent of your will!"

"Yes!"

With that, they set up the same training as last time, with Glynda summoning her glyphs to contain the explosion. This time, however, she distanced herself even further.

Once he was ready, Jaune channeled his semblance without hesitation.

His body started glowing white, cracking the ground he stood on.

"..."

It stayed like this for a while, his body shining with constant light and slowly breaking the ground around him.

"Jaune?" Glynda called, confused at the lack of destruction, "Keep channeling your semblance!"

"I... I'm trying." He replied.

His body started shining a little more intensely, causing more cracks to spread around him.

But Glynda's glyphs never cracked. They remained intact.

"...Stop." Glynda eventually ordered after five minutes of Jaune channeling his semblance.

The white light around him flickered for a moment, before slowly fading.

And disappeared.

"..."

"..."

There was a moment of silence as the two of them digested what had just happened, stunned.

"...You... Was that really all you could do?" Glynda eventually asked. That felt several times less powerful than last time!

"Yeah..." Jaune frowned, looking at his hands. "It never went out of control." He mused, "No matter how much I pushed. And when I stopped channeling my Aura, somehow my semblance immediately stopped breaking things instead of carrying on against my will... So..."

He looked up at Glynda and grinned, "Basically, it seems like I've traded _power_ for _control_. Maybe it's because I no longer feel so many negative feelings?" He mused to himself.

 _It seems he's turned more talkative, as well._ Glynda mused to herself, observing him.

"…There are some Huntsmen who believe that negativity makes the soul stronger, yes." She nodded, "However, it's not proved, and should not affect your control in any way." She mused. "How peculiar... As expected of your semblance, I suppose."

Jaune hummed pensively as he stared at the palm of his hand again.

"Regardless." Glynda smiled at him, "For now, results are all that matter. That's excellent work, Jaune!"

"Yes," he nodded, "Let's do it again, please!" He demanded.

"Very well!"

…

Glynda didn't know how Jaune had done it, but by the end of the day, she had not been injured even once, and Jaune had managed to shut down his semblance every single time.

The first sign of progress: being able to reliably stop his semblance from breaking things.

What had happened to him, being locked in his room for an entire day? What made him change?

"How did you do it?" She asked.

"Hm?"

"Before, you said you had something you wanted to try out for this training." Glynda reminded him, "What was it?"

"Ah, that," Jaune smiled. "I _lied_. Sorry. I actually had no plan."

"…" Miss Goodwitch gaped at him. Him, lying? "D-does that mean…"

"Yep. I held back my semblance without any trick." Jaune grinned proudly.

"But… How?"

"How?" Jaune repeated, chuckling. "Through all this training, my semblance never once got out of control. Even I don't really understand why. It's usually so wild. It can't be just my emotions... Something's different." He raised his hand to look at it, making his Aura glow around it.

 _He has a_ _mazing_ _Aura_ _control already…_ Glynda noted as she watched him effortlessly make his hand shine a white light.

Though she shouldn't be surprised. He had always meditated ever since childhood, and had spent his life holding back his Aura. Now that he no longer had to hold it back, he could focus all of his control somewhere else.

"My Aura feels different." He continued, observing his Aura. "It feels responsive. Controllable. Tamed." He took out his scroll. "And look at this."

 _Jaune Arc: 91.62%_

Miss Goodwitch widened her eyes. "The scroll can actually scan your Aura? It's not flickering anymore?"

 _And he still has this much Aura left, after all this training?_

"Nope," Jaune smiled, looking at the number on the scroll. "I do not know why, but… something, with my Aura, changed, ever so slightly. Something… Something…" He struggled to find the right word. "Something… _broke_?" He frowned.

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "Just… because you got some closure?"

"Maybe." Jaune shrugged. "Or maybe it is something else? Who knows." he grinned, "I couldn't care less! Because..."

He straightened up and suddenly brandished a fist towards the sky.

"I DID IIITTTT!" He screamed in victory.

 _Crack!_

He shattered the ground, cracks spreading like a web around him. "Oops," He laughed, "I got a little carried away. Hahaha… Hahaha!"

And then he continued to laugh for a while.

 _Who is this?_ Glynda wondered, _Is this really the gloomy Jaune Arc?_

She didn't know what happened, or how it happened, but she was glad. Proud, even.

"Miss Goodwitch…" He turned to her. "Thank you so much!"

"Hmm...?" Glynda blinked.

…Why was he thanking her?

In the end, she couldn't help him figure out his problem. He solved it all on his own, alone, without her help. This made her feel somewhat useless.

...Maybe she had never been qualified to deal with this semblance.

"…Good work, Jaune." Glynda just said while giving him a smile.

"Let's continue the training, please, Miss Goodwitch!" He requested eagerly.

"…Yes, of course."

Leaving that aside… With this, the worst part was behind him.

All that was left was practice.

Now, a new world was opening itself in front of him, a world where he would not be scared of tearing books apart, breaking beds, or dismantling weapons, a world where he could play video games with his friends without destroying the controller, a world where he could be punched in the face without breaking someone's limb…

A world where he could be a normal person.

His dream, fulfilled.

* * *

 **A/N: Uuuuugh. This is too sweet, way too sweet! Stop it, Ruby, you're giving me diabetes!**

 **About Ruby: some of you may need to listen to the song ' _Red Like Roses part II_ ', which hints at Ruby's emotions about her mother. This chapter is just my own take of her character based on that song, and I think it makes her more interesting.**

 **Next chapter: next week.**


	9. Kindred Ordeals

**A/N:** **So when I was** **writing this chapter, I eventually noticed I had already written over 17,000 words, and it felt a bit too heavy to compact it all in a single chapter. As a result, I've split this chapter into two parts, and this one is the first. I will post the second part this weekend.**

 **Also, this is late, I know.**

* * *

 **Kindred Ordeals**

* * *

"Night."

 _Crack!_

"Day."

 _Psshh._

"Night."

 _Crack!_

"Day."

 _Pshhh._

"Night."

 _Crack!_

"Day."

 _Pshhh._

"Uuuugh, this is so boring…" Jaune complained as he hovered his hand over the candle to extinguish the flame once again. "Night…"

 _Crack!_

The flame went out.

"I want to go back to my teeaam." Jaune whined again in frustration, rubbing the wick of the candle between his finger. "Day…"

 _Psshhh._

A white flame sparked between his fingers, turning yellow as it caught on the wick.

Jaune was now able to channel his Aura in specific parts of his body, and restricting it to a tiny part made it unstable, which somehow sparked a white flame. So now Jaune could use his fingers like a lighter.

' _It is likely due to the instability of your Aura, which makes it vibrate back and forth. The energy resulting from the friction creates heat.'_ Weiss had expertly theorized. ' _To think you would be able to control such instability, that's impressive.'_ She had mused. ' _The fact that it's white should mean it's extremely hot, but it does not seem to be that hot... So I'd say it is more likely due to the color of your Aura._ '

'… _Makes sense."_ Jaune had replied politely.

Regardless… This showed the level of control Jaune now had over his Aura. It was something he would have never been able to do before with his wild Aura spikes.

It had been two weeks since Jaune's semblance stopped being 'uncontrollable'.

During these two weeks, Miss Goodwitch had given him different exercises of Aura control, as well as tested his ability to hold his semblance back.

Lighting up and extinguishing a candle was one of these exercises, but there were many others.

For example, learning how to use his Aura without triggering his semblance. Simple Aura techniques, like running up a vertical wall by using Aura from his feet, were especially difficult to learn, since when he channeled his Aura into a surface, he would just… well, he would break it.

Other training plans included:

\- Increasing the intensity of the protection field around his body to increase his defense;

\- Breaking something into two clean pieces instead of completely shattering it apart;

\- Regulating the flow of destruction when he channeled his semblance to the maximum through his entire body – though it was not nearly as powerful as it was before, it was still a force to be reckoned with;

\- Holding a glass of water with a leaf floating on it, and breaking the leaf without shattering the glass (that one was extremely difficult, as Jaune could not touch the leaf itself and had to break it from a distance)

All of these had been impossible in the past. At first, Jaune had a lot of trouble with all this Aura training. That said, Jaune was slowly getting better. Sooner or later, he would get the hang of it.

Why? Because Jaune and Miss Goodwitch had figured out something about him.

Jaune was actually a _genius_ of Aura control! A complete natural that learned Aura tricks faster than a full-fledged huntsman!

According to Miss Goodwitch, it was because Jaune had practiced meditation for his entire life, in order to hold back his semblance. Now that his semblance was no longer so chaotic, he could focus the control that he had tuned for years, on actual, useful techniques.

Jaune didn't care much for the reason. He was just glad that he had discovered something he was actually good at – it was a first for him, the useless, untalented Jaune. But no more! Now he finally had something to be proud of.

After finding out that Jaune possessed such a talent, Miss Goodwitch had naturally tried the next most obvious thing.

 _Dust wielding_!

However, Dust was still far from Jaune's current realm of ability. Because, curiously, he could not avoid depleting the dust crystals he tried to use. No matter what, the Dust crystals were always losing their energy and turned transparent under his touch.

It was just like his ability to be immune against people's semblances: it was just too hard to control for now. So he couldn't switch it off.

This resulted in an extremely expensive training, as he wasted a lot of Dust crystals, without any improvement on his part. So they quickly abandoned this training, and it was decided that Jaune would not try learning to wield Dust until he was much, much better at controlling his Aura. Perhaps in the future, in a year or two, he would try again.

Though time passed, and all went well, Jaune sometimes wondered if his improvement wasn't _too_ _sudden_. No matter how one might explain this, it seemed very weird and _unnatural_ for his Aura to be so tamed, after so many years of wild, random spikes. Learning about Summer's death, ironically, had played an important part in this sudden improvement, but Jaune couldn't help but feel like he was _missing_ something crucial.

Still, though, Jaune didn't think too much on it, since he was very happy with the results, but it still lingered in the back of his mind.

Recently, however, a more pressing thought had surfaced in his mind: the fact that during these two weeks, Jaune had stayed stuck isolated from his classmates.

Miss Goodwitch, the staff, and some other teachers like doctor Oobleck, professor Port, Miss Peach, Mr. Mulberry, or professor Greene. Those made up all the people he was allowed to see, and Jaune actively talked to a couple of them only, that was it. Of course, his team continued to visit him in secret, but still, Jaune was getting impatient!

Every other day, he was hearing from his teammates about what they were doing and what they were going to do, and every time, Jaune felt… _left out_ of the group. He was thinking that the distance between them might start growing as time passed.

So, of course, he was getting sick of it! To the point that it was starting to affect his training.

"I'm getting mad…" Jaune groaned angrily.

 _Crack!_

Frustrated, Jaune violently exploded the candle in his hands.

"I'm sick of this!" He snapped, his patience reaching its limits. "There is no reason for me to stay isolated anymore! I want to be free!"

"Oh my." A voice chuckled. "Are we interrupting something?"

Jaune looked up. "No, Coco." He flushed, "You're not interrupting anything. What's there to interrupt?" He asked, "Me playing with a candle?"

"Oooouuh, the rookie is getting mad." She chuckled as she walked up to him, along with one of her teammates. "You're so full of energy compared to before! I have to say, I like this version of you better!"

" _You_ 're full of energy," Jaune returned the compliment, as she seemed just as energetic.

"Patience is a virtue, Jaune." Yatsuhashi advised wisely next to her.

"You're right…" Jaune nodded reluctantly.

This guy… Just hearing his voice helped Jaune calm down. He was kinda like Ren, but with a deeper, serene voice.

Jaune looked back at Coco who was humming a tune happily under her breath. "...Er… You sure seem to have fun today, Coco." He commented, causing her to giggle.

"Why, yes. Not everyone can be gloomy twenty-four seven like you!"

"H-hey! I've been getting better." Jaune protested. "I think…"

"You have?" She raised an eyebrow at him, and turned to her teammate, "Yatsu, has he been getting better?"

"I suppose he is very different from when we first met," Yatsu grunted, causing Jaune to smile.

"See, see?" He nodded to Coco, who simply hummed, a grin remaining on her face. "So what's the big deal?" Jaune asked curiously. "Did something good happen for you to smile like that?"

"Huhuhu…" Coco laughed again. What was it that made her so happy? "You see…"

"She's unlocked her semblance," Yatsu revealed.

" _Hey_!" Coco protested, glaring at her teammate.

"That's… great." Jaune commented. "What is it?"

"It's hype!" She replied.

"Um, okay… but what is it?"

"It's hype!" Coco repeated, "As in, I literally named it _hype_!"

"It's... _hype_?" Jaune blinked.

"She can enhance dust," Yatsu explained in her place.

"Hey!" Coco exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. The man didn't flinch. "Why are you spoiling the surprise!"

"What's that good for?" Jaune asked Yatsu.

"Nothing." He shrugged, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"…If giving every bullet in Gianduja enough power to cut a deathstalker in two is nothing, then yeah, it's nothing." Coco groaned, upset.

"Gian-what?" Jaune blinked.

"My Gatling gun." Coco specified.

"I can do that, too," Yatsu replied. "With Fulcrum."

"With what?" Jaune blinked.

"With Fulcrum, my sword," Yatsu grunted, tapping the handle of the sword resting on his back.

"Yes, yes. But you're just not as cool, my poor Yatsu." Coco replied. "Big swords are overrated. It's not even a gun."

"Um, I dunno, cutting a deathstalker in two doesn't seem _that_ hard." Jaune shrugged, thinking of how easily he would be able to do it.

Though Jaune did lose in raw power, killing a deathstalker should still be very easy, much like killing a Beowolf.

"But can you do it with bullets?" Coco asked.

"…No," Jaune admitted.

Though he was currently working on being able to break things from a distance without touching the target, he was stuck at a range of twenty to thirty centimeters max, and the power was greatly diminished as the distance increased.

"Thought so! I can do it at a distance, unlike you two." Coco smirked and crossed her arms. "Plus, enhancing dust will prove useful to fuel Anisedora."

"Anise-what?" Jaune blinked.

"Velvet's weapon." Coco explained, "It uses hard-light dust, and it's very expensive, so being able to enhance it will be convenient for her."

"Oh man, all these names sound so cool." Jaune sighed dreamily, longing for a cool weapon with a cool name. "I want a weapon, too… and then I can give it an awesome name!"

Yatsu hummed, before suggesting: "You might not have a weapon yet, but you can always name your semblance instead. It does not have a name yet, correct?"

Jaune widened his eyes at him. "No, it doesn't. Great idea!" He grinned, "I'll name it… uh…"

" ' _Crush_ ' ?" Yatsu suggested.

"No…"

" ' _Chaos_ ' !" Coco said.

"Er… That would have been fitting before, but now my semblance is all in order," Jaune replied, scratching his head.

" ' _Blast_ '." Coco tried again.

" ' _Rift_ '." Yatsu said.

"That's better," Jaune nodded to Yatsu.

"Oh? Then, how about… ' _Fracture_ '?" Coco suggested.

"Fracture…" Jaune repeated, the word stirring something inside him.

Fracture.

Fracture…

 _Fracture…_

" _Fracture…?" A man repeated, narrowing his eyes._

" _Fracture."_ _A_ _child_ _nodded_ _,_ _staring at his hands in fascination_ _. "The ability to break things unconditionally,_ _such is the nature of_ _this_ _power. It is unstoppable."_

 _The man scowled in disgust. "You are-"_

"What do you think?" Coco's voice snapped Jaune back to reality.

"Huh?" Jaune blinked in confusion, his head hurting.

 _What was that?_

"The name. ' _Fracture_ '." Coco insisted, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Yay or nay?"

"Fracture…" Jaune mused, "Yes, this has to be it." He nodded.

 _Fracture_. Though simple, the word resonated strongly in his mind. Jaune had probably forgotten he had used such a name in the past to describe his semblance.

It had to be the one.

"Better than ' _hype'_ ," Yatsu commented.

"Oh yeah? What's the name of _your_ semblance, huh?" Coco challenged him.

"…" Yatsu was silent for a moment. "It's simple and self-explanatory:" He groaned, "' _Memory Wipe'_."

"Lame," Coco commented. "Should have called it ' _void maker'_ or ' _mind rot_ ' or something like that."

"You can wipe memories?" Jaune gaped at Yatsuhashi.

"Indeed." Yatsu nodded, "I unlocked it at eight years old when I accidentally made my father forget that he had already given me my allowance."

This made Coco and Jaune shut up immediately.

"Whenever I tried to tell someone about my semblance, they would forget." Yatsuhashi continued, "So it was a secret for some time. I trained with this semblance, and learned a lot."

He paused.

"Hey, Yatsu…" Coco hesitated, "You don't have to-"

"No." He cut her and shook his head. "I think Jaune can use my experience." He declared, staring at Jaune, who didn't shift.

Jaune knew how hard it was to talk about such things, so he was respectfully waiting to hear the rest without interrupting Yatsuhashi.

"One day, I got jealous of my newborn sister," Yatsu continued, looking up at the sky, "That day, I also happened to not want to do my chores. So I made my mother forget about the chores. But she ended up forgetting she had a second child…"

"…"

"…"

A stunned silence followed, with Jaune knowing all too well how Yatsu felt, and Coco standing at his side in quiet support.

"If I make someone forget a day, it takes a day for them to remember." Yatsuhashi explained, "If I make someone forget a week, it takes them a week… The same time, basically. So eventually, my mother remembered, and I had to tell her and the rest of my family about my semblance…"

"…" Jaune closed his eyes in anticipation, knowing what was coming.

"It frightened them." Yatsu declared, confirming Jaune's thoughts, "My parents and my grandfather were scared of my semblance.

"An invisible rift appeared between me and my family." He continued.

 _I understand. I know how you feel._

"…Since then, I have trained and mastered it. I only use it for combat to erase a second or two of my opponent's short-term memories, to disorient them." Yatsu finished.

"…Why are you telling me this?" Jaune asked.

"Because I like you." The man answered.

"Wh-wha?" Jaune widened his eyes. "E-er, don't get me wrong, I-I have nothing against the lgbtq community! B-but I'm heterosexual for the time being, s-so…!" Jaune babbled in embarrassment.

Coco slapped his shoulder. "He's straight too, so calm down." She paused for a moment, before realizing, "…And wait, what the hell do you mean, ' _for the time being_ '?"

"E-er…" He hesitated, only for Yatsuhashi to save Jaune from explaining himself.

"When I heard about what happened to you, I empathized with you, Jaune." The man explained, ignoring Jaune's stutters. "I too was seen as a danger because of my semblance. I too experienced isolation from it. I understand how frustrating it can be. And sometimes, it may be necessary to find the strength to break free by yourself." He acknowledged, "However, just know this: if you stop causing accidents with your semblance for a long time, as I did, people will eventually warm up to you. And start trusting you."

"…" Jaune frowned as he listened silently.

"I have managed to regain my family's trust. I am sure the headmaster will come to trust you eventually, too. Give it some time, and continue to work hard." Yatsu declared firmly. "You have my support, Jaune."

"Thanks…For sharing that story." Jaune nodded to the man. "You're right, I went through the same thing as you, several times." Jaune admitted, "But I have already found people trusting me… My team! That's I why I want to go back to them. You know?"

"A fair assessment." Yatsuhashi nodded solemnly.

"And, uh... You have my support, too, Yatsu." Jaune added awkwardly. "So, if you need me for something from me... just ask."

"It is much appreciated," Yatsu simply replied.

The two of them looked at each other with newfound respect.

"Ooouh~ Is that the beginning of one of those so-called _'bromance_ '?" Coco asked with a teasing grin.

"…You sure are lively today," Jaune sighed.

"Coco just unlocked her semblance, so she's feeling high-spirited." Yatsu nodded, "We must be patient with her."

"You're not denying it~!" Coco giggled and blushed as she looked at the two of them.

"…What are you thinking about right now?" Jaune asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It's Coco. She's probably having perverted thoughts." Yatsu stated.

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Coco stepped forward.

"You know very well what I mean," Yatsu replied, unimpressed. "Just the other day you were sighing about how you miss ' _the cute Miss Goodwitch_ '."

"Ew, Miss Goodwitch?" Jaune scrunched up his nose at the idea, suddenly losing a lot of respect for Coco.

"Isn't she though?" Coco replied defensively. "With the glasses and the way she gets upset so easily..."

"She's...! She's too old for you!" Jaune protested, disgusted at the idea.

"It's useless, Jaune." Yatsuhashi sighed, "Coco is well known in the school for flirting with literally everyone."

"Not everyone, who do you think I am!" She protested, crossing her arms. "Just a few select ones. The really pretty ones. Or the ones that have funny reactions and get easily embarrassed." Coco shrugged. "And it's all in good fun."

"E-er, but... Isn't everyone pretty in this school?" Jaune asked.

"Oh my..." Coco chuckled into her mouth as she looked at him. "You think everyone is pretty here? You must be pretty horny...!"

"N-no, um, I mean..." Jaune flushed, "In this school, I haven't seen a single girl that isn't beautiful..."

"Oh my~" Coco lowered her sunglasses, "So you think I'm beautiful?"

"Er... Um... J-just like everyone else." Jaune specified, trying to de-escalate the situation.

"Like everyone else?" Coco pouted, disappointed, "Come on, look at my outfit," She waved to herself, "You can't tell me I'm not the symbol of coolness and elegance."

"I have no fashion sense." Jaune replied, shrugging.

"Blasphemy. Everyone has a fashion sense, you just don't know it yet." She slapped his shoulder once again, "We'll have to educate you on that later. Your current style is really too pitiful. Right, Yatsu?"

"I don't see the issue," Yatsu replied. "It's a breath of fresh air compared to you."

"But we can't leave this poor little rookie wearing the same hoodie all year..." Coco mused, observing Jaune's clothes, preoccupied. "You need new clothes!"

"Not like it matters. I'm stuck here, remember?" Jaune reminded her.

"Damn. You're right." Coco sighed, having apparently forgotten that fact. "Are you sure you can't do anything about it?"

"What do you mean?" Jaune frowned.

"Well, have you tried simply asking the headmaster for your release, for example?" Coco suggested.

Jaune caressed his chin. "Er… You think I can go request my release myself... instead of just waiting for it to happen?"

"Probably, yeah." Coco nodded. "Why not? It doesn't hurt to try!"

"I doubt it would be that simple." Yatsu frowned. "At the very least, it would take a lot of convincing. If you're going to do this, Jaune, you will need to choose your words very wisely."

"Right…" Jaune nodded pensively. "Choose my words wisely…"

What could Jaune do to prepare for something like requesting his release?

Jaune hummed pensively, not really having any good ideas.

"Maybe I could ask Weiss…?" Jaune mused.

The heiress of the SDC had to know a couple of things about such matters. After all, Weiss had received a formation to business and negotiation, which was why she had been upset that Ruby had been chosen as a leader and not Weiss, who had received private lessons. So she would probably know what to say and how to handle the situation.

"She does seem experienced in the matter," Coco nodded approvingly. "Not to mention her reputation."

"Huh?" Jaune tilted his head to the side, "Her reputation?"

"You know. The fact that she came to Beacon instead of Atlas, for example. Have you tried listening to one of her songs?" Coco asked, "Her remixes are _fire_."

"Er… Is that so?" Jaune tilted his head to the side, unsure.

"That is so," Coco confirmed, and grabbed his scroll. "You can just ask her."

"All right…" Jaune nodded, unsure.

"What do you listen to, anyway?" Coco asked as she was downloading one of Weiss' songs on his device.

 _Nothing._

"Er… I'm not really into music…" Jaune looked away, uncomfortable. "My scrolls never lasted long anyway."

It was simple reasoning. Music stirs up emotions within the soul. Happiness, rage, adrenaline, or the urge to start dancing. All of those had been dangerous in the past, because of his wild semblance. Music led to emotions, and intense emotions led to instability, which led to breaking things on accident.

Now, that was no longer the case, though, so he could probably start trying to listen to some songs.

"That's a shame," Yatsu remarked. "Music is a moral law. It warms the hearts of men. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life… and to everything."

"Er…" Jaune hesitated, not sure how to reply to that. "S-sure!"

It was hard to keep up with Yatsuhashi sometimes.

"Deep, Yatsu, very deep," Coco commented as she gave his scroll back to Jaune along with some earphones. "I'll lend this to you for now." She stepped back, "Now, we can't stay too long, so… Good luck with your release, rookie. I'll be back for my earphones."

"Good luck, Jaune," Yatsu nodded along.

"Bye Yatsu! Bye, Coco!" Jaune smiled as he waved at them.

…

Jaune put on the earphones and played the song as he watched Coco and Yatsuhashi walk away.

…

…

 _Mirror, mirror, can you tell me, who's the loneliest of all?_

…

He listened to the lyrics. So _that_ was what Coco had meant?

Yatsuhashi first, now Weiss.

Jaune was not the only one to go through these hardships. Far from it. People around him had esperienced similar ordeals.

Complaining so much, he might have actually come across as a whiny little kid.

 _Yeah...I need to stop complaining and keep moving forward._

* * *

 **Later.**

"Miss Goodwitch is late today…" Jaune hummed to himself.

He had finished his lunch and had listened to Weiss' song on loop for thirty minutes.

And he loved it. In fact, one might say that he was slowly becoming a fan!

Ah, Yatsuhashi was right, it was really true that music could touch the soul. Jaune didn't know why, but the sense of sadness and sorrow he had gotten from her voice was making him empathize with her.

Now he wanted to listen to her other songs too!

"Mirror, mirror, what's behind you~" Jaune hummed to himself. The song was stuck in his head now.

"Jaune Arc?" A voice called.

"Hm?" Jaune blinked and looked up from his seat.

A blonde man with blue eyes was standing in front of him, sipping a drink. He was wearing brown cargo pants, black shoes, and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt.

"Um, that's me, yes…" Jaune answered, putting his scroll and earphones away and pausing the music.

"Hmm…" The man leaned forward, looking him up and down as he caressed his chin. "You're skinnier than I thought."

Jaune perked up, "Ah, you know me, sir?"

"Only by reputation." The teacher nodded, "I'm the new professor that is replacing Miss Goodwitch for her combat classes."

"Oh! Nice to meet you, professor…" Jaune drawled on, expecting the teacher to give him his last name.

He did not.

"It is my pleasure!"

Instead, the man simply sat down next to him. "So, Jaune. I heard you got isolated from your classmates." He smiled at him, "Not too hard for you?"

"N-no, not all…"Jaune shook his head, wondering what this teacher wanted, "I understood the necessity of it… at the time."

"That's good." He nodded approvingly, "Still, it must be lonely for you. You don't miss your teammates too much?"

 _Not really, since I see them every other day._ Jaune thought. He couldn't exactly reveal that though.

"Yeah, I miss them… I want to go back to class as soon as possible." Jaune admitted, "I don't want to let down my partner, who must be getting lonely. Everyone has their own partner to rely on, except her, so it must be hard for her… I hope she's okay."

"Hmm…"

The professor hummed and took a sip of his drink.

"Yes… Your... partner... Ruby Rose." He said, looking away at the sky. "I've… heard about her."

"Ah, yes." Jaune smiled, "She is our team's trusted leader."

"…And yet, she's only fifteen years old…" The teacher remarked. "Honestly, I don't make the decisions here at Beacon, but… I've noticed that she seems rather ill-suited for the role." He sighed in disapproval, "She seems like she's trying hard, but one of her teammates got isolated in such a way… Yet she's carrying on without a care in the world? I don't buy it at all. It just looks like she's desperately trying to hide her weaknesses."

…What was this ignorant man saying about Ruby? Was he badmouthing her?

Jaune was starting to dislike this teacher.

"…I won't let you say that." He groaned.

"…Oh?" The teacher raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ruby is an admirable student, a fifteen-year-old genius befitting of the title of leader," Jaune stated coldly. "With all due respect, professor, your criticism is completely baseless."

"…Admirable?" The teacher boringly looked to the side and took another sip of his drink. "She's still an immature little girl… I can see how it might seem that way from an outsider's perspective, though."

"An _outsider_? I am no outsider! I am her partner." Jaune replied vehemently. "She's always helping me. We've been training together, before I got isolated. She has solved many problems within our team… I know her much better than you do!"

"Ooh…?" He stared at Jaune with an amused grin. He caressed his chin again, seemingly very amused. "Hmm… Hohoo…" He chuckled, narrowing his eyes, "I see how it is now… Well then, it seems I've been a bit rude."

"…?" Jaune stared at the man, confused, wondering what he was thinking.

The teacher gave him a knowing smile, "…In that case, Mr. Arc. Could you tell me yourself, what kind of person Ruby Rose is?"

"Huh…?" Jaune blinked.

The teacher leaned back, resting his arms on the back of the bench. "If you manage to convince me, I will retract my earlier statement, and admit that Ruby Rose does indeed deserve to be where she is."

"…" Jaune looked down, thinking of how best to describe Ruby. This was one of a teacher of Beacon, it was best for Ruby if that teacher had a good opinion of her.

"…Okay then." Jaune took a deep breath, preparing himself.

He started with the obvious. "Ruby is the best at exterminating Grimm."

"That's probably all she's got going for her." The teacher replied.

"She was made leader by Ozpin himself," Jaune added.

"There were only four candidates per team." He rolled his eyes, "The sample is too small, it doesn't say much."

"U-um… She has beautiful silver eyes."

"Her parents must have good genes." He shrugged. "It's not like her silver eyes are something that she earned for herself."

 _What a weird way to phrase it…_ Jaune frowned.

"She's… Er… She can build awesome weapons!"

"Yet she's useless without her scythe." The teacher pointed out, "She cannot fight with her own hands. In combat class, she always loses, and never manages to damage her opponent's Aura by a single percent. _Never_."

Jaune protested, "But she's always eager to learn-"

"Wrong." The teacher instantly cut him, "She could learn hand-to-hand combat to improve herself, yet she refuses to do so, consistently ever since she was young."

"H-how would you know that?"

"I am a teacher at Signal, the school that Miss Rose attended before coming to Beacon." The teacher said, "Should I also mention her _average_ grades?"

"Aaargh!" Jaune groaned frustratingly, "I don't _care_! The point is! Ruby is a wonderful person! Why don't you _get_ that?" He glared at the teacher, frustrated.

"Hahahah… I like this guy's reaction." The teacher laughed, as if talking to himself.

He took another sip of his drink as Jaune slowly calmed down.

"Even I know that much about her… That won't be enough to convince me. That was all common knowledge." The teacher stated and looked back at Jaune, "Instead… I want to hear the perspective of someone close to her. Why don't _you_ tell me what kind of person she is, _to you_?"

"What kind of person… she is to me…?" Jaune repeated.

"…Yes."

"…"

"…"

There was a short silence before Jaune eventually spoke up.

"Ruby was my first friend. I didn't believe it at first, because I assumed that… I would be a burden. I used to think that I could have no friends because of my semblance."

"…" The teacher stayed quiet, listening to him. Just like Jaune did with Yatsuhashi.

"But she didn't mind, she accepted me and the bundle of problems that came with me. Now, at the time, I would have accepted anyone as a friend, even someone with a rotten personality. So I expected her to reveal something bad about herself, some kind of… _flaw_ in her character. Some kind of ulterior motive, maybe. Because only a person like that would want to be my friend."

"I was waiting for the act to drop when I injured Cardin's body." Jaune mused, "That's what I was thinking…"

He paused and looked up at the sky.

"I waited a long time… But you know, professor, no matter how long I looked, I could not find a single bad thing about her. So eventually, I had to accept that someone like her genuinely wanted to become my friend. And then, I started to notice, that the other people that I thought were putting up a facade, actually wanted to be my friend, too.

"It was a _huge_ wake-up call.

"I grew ready to accept more and more unexpected friends, even from higher years and other teams, and now I believe it is no longer out of reach for me to… to go out… and…" Jaune waved his hand,"…and make friends with some random person that I would randomly meet on the street, on my own volition.

"Not only that…" Jaune continued, "Even though she seems so cheery, Ruby is actually having it tough. She has her own personal struggles too. Some of her struggles are similar to mine… We share the same _grief_ , for example. Yet, despite that, she always smiles and is always cheerful. I think that is an immense strength. My perspective was changed because of her."

"So I'm grateful to her, and I would like to give my thanks to the parents that raised her…" He finished, thinking of Summer Rose.

"Ooooh~?" The teacher smiled with all his teeth, like a Beowolf who had just devoured a particularly tasty human.

"A-ah, sorry…" Jaune apologized, realizing he might have said a little too much, "Th-that was a bit of a boring story, wasn't it."

"Not at all, it was _very_ interesting~" The teacher replied with a wide grin.

"E-even I'm surprised…" Jaune blushed embarrassingly, "I would have never opened up like this in the past, you know."

"Well, you volunteered that information all on your own." The teacher chuckled and leaned back in satisfaction, "Looks like she has affected you more than you think. You are becoming less and less timid."

"Y-yeah…" Jaune nodded hesitantly.

 _I wonder about that…_

"Hmm. Well, anyway." The teacher looked back up to the sky. "I see now that Miss Rose is quite beloved." he finally admitted.

"She is!" Jaune grinned enthusiastically.

"…Hm, hmm." The teacher continued to nod along with him, "Indeed, allow me to apologize. I should not have spoken so harshly about her." He smiled, "I hereby retract my earlier statements!"

"Hahaha… I'm just glad you understand, professor!" Jaune grinned widely as he scratched his hair, very pleased that he had managed to convince him. _P_ _reach Ruby's awesomeness_ _!_

"Then… will you let me ask one last question?" The teacher asked, maintaining his gaze to the sky.

"Of course, sir, of course!" Jaune smiled pleasantly, now completely warmed up to the teacher, "What is it?"

The teacher gave him a sidelong glance, "Would you say that Ruby Rose is… let's say… the object of your _affections_?"

"…Wh-wha-?!" Jaune gasped, blushing. "Wh-why would you ask a student such a question?!"

"Hmm… I just… I just _really_ need to know..." The teacher insisted, leaning forward, "If you had to choose, would you say you _like_ her or _hate_ her?" He was almost towering over him now, "Do you think you'd want to _date_ her eventually?"

"…E-enough already…!" Jaune shook his head, and turned away from him to hide his discomfort. "T-to begin with, there's no way I would say something so embarrassing…!"

The teacher leaned back and smirked victoriously. "Don't you think that response itself reveals how you feel?"

"Wh-what-what is _WRONG_ with you?!"

Shouting like that, Jaune jumped on his feet and took his distances, blushing and walking away rapidly as the man behind him was letting out a loud laugh.

Jaune shook his head in embarrassment as he stopped after gaining some distance and leaned back against a wall, out of sight.

… _What is wrong with me, actually? Why did I start blurting out so much about myself?  
_ _I wonder why… I feel less wary when I'm talking to this teacher somehow, he has that familiar feel about him. So I ended up saying some weird things.  
_ _Yeah… for some reason, he has a trustworthy air about him, that made me trust him. Just like Ruby._

Not to mention, that blonde hair and those blue eyes looked just like Jaune… He could have easily mistaken him for his biological father if he had announced himself as such.

Hm?

Jaune paused in his thoughts.

 _Wait, but that teacher. He never did give me his name…?  
_ _Eh? He has blonde hair and blue eyes, just like me... Could it be that… this man is actually…?_

He widened his eyes, his heart skipping a beat.

 _Impossible! But...T_ _hat would explain why he is so interested in me…  
_ _There's no other explanation…! It makes sense!_

… _No way! He is my... father?_

Jaune started deluding himself with such thoughts! Sadly, having no decent father figure for his entire life, the boy was naturally starving for familial love...

Scenes of common family routine were already popping in his head, like going out to enjoy a movie, sharing a meal…

' _Ohoho, sorry I_ _wasn't_ _there for you,_ _Jaune,_ _I was held back because of really important reason… Will you accept me back into your life…my son?_ '  
 _My Son?  
_ _My Son. My Son. My Son._

The word echoed in Jaune's head, making him drool at the mere idea. That word sounded so good! If that stuff really happened, he would die of happiness!

And then… And then!

' _Ohoho, I forgot to mention, but you have seven sisters… all blondes!'  
_ ' _S-seven?!'  
_ '… _There they are! I'm sure you'll get on!'  
_ ' _Nice to meet you, little brother!'  
_ ' _Aaaah, I always dreamed of having a big bro!'_

Jaune watched the sky as he was imagining all kind of unlikely scenarios to happen. Holy crap, this would be so great!

However, he quickly shook his head and clapped his cheeks.

 _Get composed, Jaune._

That teacher really did manage to get under his skin. But let's be real, now, there was no way that this dreamlike scenario could happen.

Especially _seven_ sisters. _Seven_! Who even had so many siblings? That was just way too many! Simply having one sibling or two sounded way better, didn't it?

...

"Come on… Let me see him!"

Jaune suddenly heard Ruby's voice out of nowhere, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"You do know you're not supposed to be here, right?" The teacher's voice replied.

"…?"

Jaune quickly walked back to the teacher, wondering what was going on.

"Oh, come on!" Ruby's voice replied, "There is no danger to be around him anymore! So it's fine!"

Ruby had appeared out of nowhere and was now bothering the teacher.

"Pleeeaaaaase~…"

"Okay, okay." The teacher was laughing as Ruby was giving him puppy eyes. "I'll make an exception for today. I think it's about time he sees his friends, the poor kid. As for future visits, I'll talk to Glynda and Ozpin about it. How about that?"

"Yay~!" Ruby cheered happily.

Huh? Why did these two seem so close?

Jaune walked over to them, feeling more and more uncomfortable as he watched them. It was like watching a father and his... No, surely not...

"R-ruby…" Jaune called hesitantly, "D-do you personally know this teacher?"

"A-ah! Jaune!" Ruby gasped, and quickly stepped away from the teacher. "Er…Um… He's my father."

"I'm Papa Xiao-Long, nice to meet you~" The blonde man waved at him.

"Eh?" Jaune widened his eyes. "P-papa… Papa Xiao-Long?"

This guy was… Ruby and Yang's…? Dad? And Summer's husband?

And the conversation they just had… _Oh no._

Jaune started trembling as he remembered their talk, his cheeks turning red, while Ruby also groaned in embarrassment.

"Ohoho!" Mr. Xiao Long grinned widely. "Earlier, you said you wanted to give your thanks to Ruby's parents, right?" He continued and walked over to him, smirking.

"U-um?" Ruby blinked, staring at the two apprehensively.

"Well, there I am." Her dad raised his arms, as if offering himself to Jaune. "Whenever you're ready, son!"

 _Son…_ Jaune flushed at the word, a warm feeling spreading in his chest. How could a single word be so powerful?

"W-wait…" He articulated slowly, "Y-you mean to tell me, that this whole time… y-you were just... teasing me?"

"Of course!" The man grinned.

Jaune gaped at him.

…A _troll_! Ruby's dad was a giant _troll_!

"Ahaha…" Jaune turned away, humiliated that he had revealed so much about himself to such a man. He glanced at his partner. "R-ruby… what a wonderful, playful dad you have…" He praised with a dead voice.

"Y-yeah..." Ruby nodded awkwardly.

…

Meanwhile, in Ruby's head…

 _Damn you, old geezer! What did you do to Jaune?!_ She thought in panic, wondering what kind of unnecessary things her dad had told her partner.

All the while Jaune was in a daze, without any idea of what to do in this kind of situation.

As for Taiyang Xiao-Long, he just finished his drink and sighed in satisfaction, fully enjoying his position as a teacher of Beacon.

* * *

 **With Taiyang.**

"Aaaah, life is good." He nodded to himself and turned to the two blushing teens.

 _So… this is the kid Summer was visiting, huh._

Summer had mentioned Jaune to him a few times in the past, of course.

He seemed to have turned out okay. It seemed like he had grown into a kind boy, despite Summer's death.

Given his background, it was a miracle that he has turned out like this. That was good… Yeah… Summer would be glad.

And judging by the little story he had just told him... It would be interesting if this guy meets Qrow.

"Well then, Ruby, since you're here," Taiyang smiled at his daughter, "You might as well help out."

"Help out?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Glynda has tasked me with teaching _this_ kid," He poked said teen on his forehead, which made him snap back to reality. "The basics of hand to hand combat."

"Oh," Jaune blinked.

"And you, my dear daughter," He poked Ruby's forehead, "Are going to help."

"What! Uuuugh, nooo, not hand-to-hand combat…" She crossed her arms, scrunching up her nose in annoyance. "I don't want to… It's laaaame."

…As expected of Ruby. As stubborn as ever, that girl just refused to learn the basics.

 _Oh, well._ Taiyang sighed to himself. _Some things never change. At least I tried._

"...So you're leaving already, Ruby?" Jaune asked her.

"A-ah," Ruby winced under his gaze, "Um…"

"I thought it would have been fun to learn the basics and train together…" Jaune sighed in disappointment.

"…Er…" Ruby's shoulders sagged.

"It would have been a nice change," Jaune mumbled quietly.

"Gaaaah! Fine, fine," Ruby waved her arms, "I'm staying!"

"Really?" Jaune's face illuminated. "Great!"

Taiyang gaped at their interaction.

 _Holy crap. This kid easily succeeded where Yang and I have failed for years, and all he had to do was acting disappointed for two seconds?_

"Y-yeah…" Ruby nodded reluctantly. "I guess I can help."

"Ah, you don't have to force yourself." Jaune shook his head, "It's fine if you don't like it."

"Nah, don't worry about it! I guess I had to learn this sooner or later." Ruby nodded awkwardly as if she had actually ever considered the idea in the past. "I was thinking it was about time to do this anyway…! Since I lost Crescent Rose! Hahaha!" She laughed nervously.

"…What are you talking about?" Taiyang asked his daughter, deadpan. "You've always hated this… No way you've ever considered doing this, ever."

"… _Shut up, dad_." Ruby hissed at him quietly away from Jaune.

"…Okay then." He raised his hands, amused.

 _Scary…_

* * *

 **Later.**

"All right. First, I'll assess your current level." Taiyang declared, "You'll have a spar against each other. No semblances allowed."

"Yes, sir!" Jaune nodded enthusiastically, while Ruby barely held back a resigned sigh.

 _He seems awfully happy for such a simple lesson…_ Taiyang noted as he watched the kid try to invent a semblance of a fighting stance. His form was terrible and full of openings, of course.

"Whenever you're ready," Taiyang waved at them, checking his scroll.

 _Ruby Rose: 100%_

 _Jaune Arc 98.47%_

 _He probably lost some of his Aura during his training._ Taiyang mused.

"…"

"…"

"…" Taiyang looked up at the two. "What are you waiting for? Fight!"

The two of them were standing there, facing each other awkwardly.

"R-right…!" Ruby nodded.

She was the first to attack.

"Aaataaa!" She shouted as she jumped towards Jaune and threw her fist forward.

As he was too slow to react, it solidly impacted his face, and Jaune was sent flying and slid on the ground for several meters.

"A-aouch…!" Jaune winced.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Ruby asked worriedly and ran over to him.

At that moment, Jaune straightened up and welcomed her with a punch in her stomach.

"Oof!"

But Ruby had the reflex to jump back to cushion the impact of his blow.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Jaune widened his eyes in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Aaaataaa!" Ruby shouted as she kicked him in the face, sending him flying once again. "E-er… Sorry!" She added afterward.

"…"

Taiyang's eye twitched as he watched them… exchange courtesies for a while.

 _This is such an awkward fight..._

Slowly, they both started to get used to fighting with punches and kicks, and the spar turned into a full-blown fight.

"…"

Jaune was getting beat up pretty badly.

Even though Ruby was by far the worst student of the class at hand-to-hand combat, she was still beating Jaune in strength and speed.

As the spar continued, it became increasingly clear to Taiyang that Jaune had absolutely no talent in hand to hand combat. The punches or kicks he tried to throw around were extremely easy for Ruby to dodge or block, and made him lose his balance. He even fell on the ground multiple times without Ruby touching him. His sense of balance was all wrong… but that in itself could be easily corrected.

However, it wasn't just hand-to-hand combat. This boy was just not meant to be a fighter, ever. Even when it looked like he would land a good punch, he was flinching back, as if afraid to hurt Ruby. This would weaken the impact of his blows so much that Ruby was hardly losing any Aura.

Of course, Taiyang knew that this was most likely due to the remnants of the trauma the kid had suffered from his destructive semblance through his life. He was still too scared of breaking people's bones. It was probably going to take some time before Jaune would be able to punch people without any fear of sending his opponent to the hospital.

As the two continued to fight, what was happening was pretty clear.

A one-sided beat up. Ruby even started to slow down and hold back, worrying for Jaune's health.

And yet… After a good thirty minutes of him getting beaten up, they were still fighting.

 _Hm? That's weird._ Taiyang frowned. _Should he not have been defeated already...?_

The professor glanced at the screen of his scroll.

 _Jaune Arc: 88.32%_

"…" Taiyang stared at the screen of his scroll, stunned.

 _What in the world… He lost only 10% of his Aura? That's it?!_

A gargantuan reserve of Aura! As expected of the boy who had exploded a giant crater in the middle of the Emerald Forest. Such power required large amounts of energy.

… Still, though, the fight kept going, and after an hour passed…

"Jaune!" Ruby gasped and dashed towards him as he wasn't moving anymore. "Oh no…"

"Eh? What's with him?" Taiyang blinked confusedly.

"It's probably his anemia…" Ruby explained, checking his pulse. His skin was terrifyingly white. "He pushed himself too hard…! I knew this was a bad idea."

 _He… fainted? Oh boy…_ Taiyang sighed in his mind. _This dude is gonna need a lot of work if he really wants to become a fighter._

He glanced at his scroll again.

 _Jaune Arc: 81.33%_

 _Ruby Rose: 99.12%_

His Aura had tanked so many blows… compared to Ruby who had only received a couple of hits, Jaune had gotten punched and kicked _hundreds_ of times.

Basically, he made for a perfect punching bag.

 _If he can improve his stamina and his dexterity, he will become insanely strong._ Taiyang mused, _He doesn't even need to train his strength since his semblance already deals more damage than his fists, or any weapon, ever will._

"Well, let's lie him on the bench, and let him rest for a while." Taiyang decided, grabbing his body and lifting him up. "Look carefully, Ruby. This is how you handle someone who fainted. With this boy on your team, I'm sure it'll be helpful to you. You're a team leader, so take responsibility and listen!"

"Yes!" Ruby nodded seriously, watching him.

"You want to put him into the ' _recovery position_ '." Taiyang began as he lied the boy's body on the bench. "Bend the knees, and just kind of roll him over. On his side." He explained as he did it himself. "That way if he has any fluids or if he's vomiting, everything can roll out of his mouth and he won't choke on it."

"Okay…" Ruby nodded, observing his movements attentively.

"If you have access to any kind of cold compresses, or ice, or cool clothes, you want to use them," Taiyang continued. "Put it on his forehead and behind his neck. When he wakes up, keep him down for a little bit, and then slowly get him up. You do it little by little, there's no race, okay? You just slowly help him up."

"Yes." Ruby continued to nod.

"And then you have him sit for a while until he's feeling better. If he starts to faint again, you just roll him right back, nice and easy."

"All right."

"Now if he continues to faint, something weird is going on, so you want to call for help. But oftentimes, whatever is going on will resolve itself after you have the person down and they've recovered. Anemia is like that. If they don't recover…"

"If they don't recover, I have to perform CPR?" Ruby asked.

"…"

"…"

Taiyang turned to stare at his daughter, whose cheeks had turned slightly pink.

"…No, you get your scroll and call for help first." He answered after a lengthy pause, "CPR is necessary only if they stop breathing. Understood? No CPR."

"R-right…!" Ruby flushed. "Of course."

"…I'm gonna get some ice. You two stay here in the shade. I'll be right back."

"Okay!" She nodded.

Taiyang sighed to himself as he walked away.

 _Right._ _She's at that age, now, huh…_

 _..._

 _Maybe it's best if Jaune stays isolated after all..._

* * *

 **With Yang.**

Yang bit her lip nervously as she was watching Ruby giving Jaune a lap pillow on a bench.

It was the first time they had talked in three weeks, yet they seemed so close already. Closer than ever.

Yang had thought that Jaune getting isolated from their class would be enough to keep Ruby safe from another big explosion, but now… their own dad was allowing Ruby to see him? Wasn't that a breach of the rules?

"Yang," Her father's voice sighed behind her, making her freeze momentarily. "Should you not be in the infirmary?"

Yang glanced down at her arm encased in plaster. "I couldn't stay with Cardin." She said, "And my arm should heal rapidly now, I can attend lessons once again."

"…That's good, but... what are you doing here?" He asked, "It's not very classy to spy like this on your sister…"

"…I'm worried for her, dad," Yang replied.

"There is nothing to fear." He stated.

"What about his semblance?" Yang pointed out. "I don't have anything against Jaune himself. But… His semblance is making him dangerous. Why should Ruby have to pay the price of being his friend?"

"Hmm…" Dad mused along with her. "People don't need a reason to be someone's friend, Yang. Plus, Jaune seems to have gained control over his semblance, so it should be safe on that front."

"…How could you be so sure about that?" Yang argued. "Ruby… She..."

"…has made her own choice by herself." He replied.

"…" Yang stayed quiet. "Why are you saying this? Are you not worried? You're our dad, you're supposed to... to protect us…"

Yang's voice died in her throat, not finishing her sentence.

"…"

Her father remained silent for a moment, watching Ruby taking care of her partner.

"He reminds me of Qrow, you know." Her father eventually spoke up.

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang blinked. "Him?"

"Yes." He nodded.

Yang looked back at Jaune. "I don't see any resemblance…"

"You wouldn't," Her father nodded, "Since you haven't heard the little story he has told me just before. It was very interesting to hear. But... they went through similar ordeals."

"…"

"Yang…" He hesitated, before declaring, "We've never told you before, but Qrow's semblance is harmful to the people around him."

"Wh-what?" Yang gasped, widening her eyes.

"Qrow spreads _bad luck_ wherever he goes." Her father revealed. "That is his semblance. Misfortune happens to the people around him. Which is why he chooses to somewhat keep his distances with us."

"…!"

Yang's heart sunk in her chest as she pictured Qrow's grinning face waving goodbye at her and Ruby.

So _that_ was why?

"Yang, are you saying that Ruby shouldn't hang around Qrow, either?" Dad asked.

"N-no…!" Yang exclaimed, "Of course not!"

"Of course not." Her father repeated, nodding along. "It's obvious, isn't it."

"…" Yang looked down, suddenly feeling ashamed.

"…"

"…"

"…I'm not saying I don't feel my blood boiling when I see my daughter get so close to him." Her father continued, which made Yang smile, "But… When I see him, I feel like I don't want to make things hard for him… To me, this dude just really needs a break."

"A _break_ …" Yang repeated, chuckling at the irony.

"…I wasn't even trying to make a pun." He sighed.

"It's in our blood, dad. You can't escape it."

"Dammit."

They shared a laugh together, and then quieted down. A moment of silence passed as they looked at Ruby and Jaune.

Jaune had now opened his eyes and was chatting with her, his head still resting on her lap. Ruby seemed relieved as she was talking to him.

He gave her earphones and made her listen to something on his scroll, and they shared a laugh together for some reason.

"..."

Through Yang's eyes, she replaced Jaune's image with uncle Qrow. A young, seventeen years old uncle Qrow resting on mom's lap... on Summer's lap.

Had there been a time when her uncle had been as carefree as this? Was that what her father was referring to?

…Thinking about it, now it made sense why Qrow had been drinking so much.

It made Yang's heart squeeze painfully. She just wanted to hug her uncle as tight as possible when he came back from his mission.

"…"

Yang then imagined Jaune, twenty years older, with a flask of alcohol in his hands and spending most of his time in bars or on missions, away from people, just like Qrow.

That vision... did not seem that unlikely to happen...

However, Yang realized that she did not want such a vision to happen.

Were all cursed people really condemned to turn out like this?

Both Jaune... and uncle Qrow...?

...

 _Are the two of them going to end up... the same?_

...

...

...

...

...

Yang's eyes turned red.

 _NO!  
_ _NO, they are not!  
_ _If Jaune can overcome it, then uncle Qrow can, too!  
_ _Jaune WILL succeed...!_ _So that he can_ _one day_ _inspire uncle Qrow!  
_ _He will give a new meaning to Qrow's life, and prove to him that there is still hope_ _in this world_ _for the cursed people!_

 _..._

That day, a fire lit up within Yang's soul, as she finally decided to accept Jaune as Ruby's partner, and even support him and his goals.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading.**

 **Note: What I wrote about Coco and Yatsuhashi is not original. It's actually canon. It is taken from the official novel 'After The Fall', which talks about what team CVFY is doing in Vacuo after the fall of Beacon. This novel was released quite recently. When I read about Yatsuhashi's backstory, it was a godsend for this fic. I just had to talk about it in this chapter, since it is titled ' _Kindred Ordeals_ '.**

 **Next Chapter: this Sunday**

 **Edit: delayed to Monday or Tuesday because I'm a potato.**


	10. Breaking Free

**A/N: It's so hot, it's exhausting... I just wanna sleep. Didn't check for grammar or spelling for this one, I was too tired.**

* * *

 **Breaking Free**

* * *

 **With Weiss.**

"Mirror, mirror~"

"What's behind you~"

Weiss covered her face in her hands and groaned painfully as Ruby and Blake were singing together.

"Please stop…" The heiress begged tiredly.

"Save me from the things I seeeee~" Ruby continued to sing.

"I can keep it from the world~" Blake followed along.

The two girls had set up to karaoke all day, ever since Ruby had come back from her spar with Jaune. And their voices sounded absolutely horrible to Weiss' hears. They were butchering her song…!

 _This is all Jaune's fault… Why did that dork suddenly decide to take an interest in music?!_

"Come on, Weiss!" Ruby encouraged, "Come sing with us!"

"No way! This is just some remix trash!" Weiss protested, "It's not even my real song!"

"You're not singing loud enough, Weiss!" Ruby cheered.

"I won't be singing at all!" Weiss corrected stubbornly, arms crossed.

"So if we play the real song you'll come to sing with us?" Blake asked.

"No! I've left that behind me." Weiss replied, "I'm focusing on my studies now."

"That's a shame," Blake commented.

"Booo! If it was Jaune, he would have come to sing with us." Ruby pointed out, pouting.

"I don't care what Jaune would do!" Weiss huffed, crossing her arms and turning away, causing Ruby to let out a whine. "And stop whining! That may work on your naive partner, but I can see through your little tricks, Ruby!"

"Dammit," Ruby giggled and stuck out her tongue at her.

Weiss rolled her eyes, which caused them to land on a particular book that was lying on Ruby's bed.

"Hmm? This is…" She recognized its cover. She stepped forward to grab the book and widened her eyes when she examined it. "Ninjas… of love… book three?"

Gaping, Weiss turned to stare at the other two. Ruby was looking away innocently, while Blake looked proud.

"Blake!" Weiss narrowed her eyes on her partner, scandalized. "Don't let such books lie around Ruby's bed!"

"Too late, she's already read it." Blake shrugged.

"Wh-what?" Weiss gasped, glancing at Ruby, who was shifting awkwardly, but did not seem very embarrassed, "But she's only _fifteen_!"

"I was twelve when I started reading this stuff." Blake shrugged, while Ruby was giggling awkwardly and scratching her hair, cheeks pink.

Weiss frowned, "That is no reason to let a child…!"

"I'm not a child!" Ruby protested childishly. " _You_ 're a child!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"I'm two years older!" Weiss pointed out.

"Yet you're as immature as a toddler!" Ruby replied.

"How dare you!" The heiress huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Hah! Doesn't feel good to be called a child, now, does it, princess!" Ruby laughed victoriously.

"It's Heiress!"

"Whatever. Let me remind you, my dear Weiss," Ruby drew Weiss to her side by putting her arm around the heiress' shoulder, "That I am the leader of this team Rainbow. As such… I have the duty to be aware of the readings of the members of my precious team…"

"Isn't that just invading our privacy?" Weiss questioned.

"Oh come on, I just read a book!" Ruby protested.

"A _smut_ book!" Weiss specified.

"Still just a book!"

"…Blake!" Weiss turned to her partner, "You say something!"

The two girls turned to the cat Faunus who was observing the altercation with a satisfied smile.

"….Two down, one more to go." Blake mused pleasantly.

"…Wh-what did you say?" Weiss asked Blake, not sure to have heard correctly. "Did you… Did you just...?"

"…"

There was a short pause, before Blake smirked evilly. "I will corrupt _every single_ member of this team."

Ruby and Weiss glanced at each other, widening their eyes as they realized what she was up to.

* * *

 **Later, with Jaune.**

 _Crack! Crack! Crack!_ _Crack! Crack! Crack!_ _Crack! Crack! Crack!_

"Haaa!" Jaune panted as he threw his palm forward to break another projectile coming at him.

Jaune was currently breaking every single purple Aura projectiles that Miss Goodwitch was sending in his direction. Using his two hands to successively block as many projectiles as possible, as fast as possible.

It was well known that all competent Huntsmen knew how to handle a stream of Dust bullets heading their way with their weapon. This was why Miss Goodwitch had decided to train him in blocking her projectiles. While much slower than standard Dust bullets, it was the perfect transition for Jaune, since Miss Goodwitch could control the projectile's speed.

Plus, considering Jaune's abilities... It was obvious that his weakness was getting attacked from a distance at which he would not be able to use his semblance. People firing their guns at him while fleeing to maintain the distance between them would be pretty troublesome to defeat. However, this training made him learn how to deal with such a strategy.

 _Crack!_ _Crack! Crack!_ _Crack!_ _Crack!_ _Crack! Crack!_ _Crack!_

One after the other, Jaune was breaking each purple projectile coming at him.

Not only this training improved Jaune's control over his Aura, but it also increased his dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and stamina. All his weak points, basically.

 _Crack!_ _Crack! Crack!_ _Crack!_ _Crack!_ _Crack! Crack!_ _Crack!_

...Needless to say, it was a very loud training.

...

After some time, Glynda lowered her crop, panting.

"...I'm out of Aura..." She breathed, her Aura completely depleted.

Meanwhile, Jaune was sitting at 83%. Honestly, he had _so much_ Aura. It was really insane... Jaune was finally starting to realize how large his reserves were.

However, he was still limited by other factors, such as fatigue.

"Ugh... My arms..." Jaune complained, leaving his limbs hanging from his shoulders.

To parry all these projectiles, he had to constantly move his arms. It was very tiring. He had to take a lot of breaks to not injure his weak muscles or get cramps.

"Well, that's all for today..." Miss Goodwitch sighed, as exhausted as Jaune. Because she had a broken arm, she could not wield her Aura as proficiently, which also made her part of the training tiring.

"Okay..." Jaune nodded along.

"Take your rest, we'll be back at it tomorrow first thing in the morning."

"Yes!"

...

When Jaune came back to his apartment, he found something peculiar on his bed.

"Eh? What's that?" Jaune frowned at the book. "It wasn't there this morning…"

' _Ninjas of love, book_ _two_ _._ ' He read.

"Isn't that one of Blake's books?" Jaune mused, picking it up. "I wonder what it talks about. Maybe she wants me to read it?"

He opened it and skimmed through it.

"No pictures." Jaune sighed, disappointed. "Let's try to read a section." He decided.

" _-one thing different from before was that she did not take off her own clothing. She wore Kumiko's dress the whole time. I tried to move, but it felt as if my body were tied down by invisible threads. I felt myself growing big and hard inside-"_

"Nope nope nope nope!"

Suddenly, someone snatched the book from his hands.

"H-hey!" Jaune protested at Ruby who was holding the book away from him as he tried to take it back. "I was reading that! Give it back!"

"Nope!"

"Come on!" Jaune complained, getting more and more curious. "This... This is censorship! Come on!"

"This is _filth_!" His partner screamed back at him.

"Eh?" Jaune blinked.

"FILTH!"

She smacked the book on his head and bolted outside in burst of rose petals.

"Wha-?" Jaune gaped, very much confused. "What was that about…?"

"Nothing to worry over," Weiss replied, having apparently entered his room at the same time as Ruby. Every member of his team was waltzing in and out of here like they owned the place, it seemed. "She was probably not happy that you started by the second book," Weiss suggested.

"…Really." Jaune raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"More importantly…" Weiss coughed in her hands, "Jaune! Why did you suddenly start listening to my song? Do you know how sick I am of hearing about it?"

"Ah?" Jaune tilted his head to the side, "Um… Coco recommended it to me…"

"Coco? Coco Adel? You know the leader of team CVFY?" Weiss' eyes lit up, interested, "They're the best team of Beacon!"

"Yeah," Jaune nodded. "Though I've yet to meet Coco's partner, Fox."

"I see…" She smiled, somehow a little more pleased to hear that. "So it is she who made you listen to it. It can't be helped then… Fufufu…"

Ah, she was doing her evil laugh again. Was she that happy that Coco appreciated her music?

Coco must be pretty popular among the students, huh...

"…You know, she was right, that song is really something." Jaune smiled, "I've been listening to it a lot! Your voice is great, Weiss, it got me all emotional!"

"Oh god…" She sighed tiredly, "Ruby and Blake pestered me with this as well, but it seems your case is far worse than theirs…"

"What do you mean? Your voice is so full of emotions, and the lyrics of your song!" Jaune insisted, "I understand now, it must have been tough for you, huh…?"

"H-hey, hey, hey! Stop! Stop that right now!" Weiss demanded as she stepped away from him, "You're acting like one of my creepy fans who think they know all about me after listening to one of my songs!"

"But...!"

"No butts!"

"...No butts?" Jaune blinked.

"No butts."

"...But-"

" _Atatata_!" She silenced him, placing a finger in front of his mouth. "I don't want to hear anything! About my songs! Don't you dare start singing as Ruby and Blake did!"

"...Then how about you hear your song sung by yourself?" Jaune suggested as he grabbed his scroll, and played her song.

 _Mirror, mirror~_

"What are you, a child? I told you I'm sick of hearing this..." She rolled her eyes as the music was playing, "Fine then, if you're going to be like that, I'm leaving!"

As she said that, she huffed, turned away and left.

"W-wait," Jaune panicked, turned off his scroll, and followed after her, "Wait, wait, wait! Weiss, Weiss, Weiss, I'm sorry, I was joking!"

"Joking?" Weiss huffed as she stopped in front of the window.

"N-no, I took it too far…" Jaune tried to apologize, "Please, Weiss, actually, I really need you to help me… I want quality advice, you know, and I think you're the only one I can ask!"

"…Oh?" She raised an eyebrow at him, as if saying ' _go on_ '.

"Th-that's right!" Jaune insisted, "I need to request my release to the headmaster soon, but I don't know how to say it! And Yatsu told me it wouldn't be easy and that I had to you my words wisely!"

"Yatsu... You mean Yatsuhashi Daichi?"

"Yes!" Jaune nodded, and continued to try to butter her up, "Please, Weiss, only someone as knowledgeable as you can help me, there's no one else capable!"

"…" She turned to stare at him, with a smile on the corner of her mouth. "…You're already not half bad with words, you know that?"

"Ahaha…" Jaune chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"Sit down, you… insufferable… donkey." Weiss ordered, on the same tone that she would say ' _You got me, you little rascal._ '.

"Y-yes…!" Jaune grinned and obeyed.

"...Now, wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

Saying that, she went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"…?" Jaune tilted his head to the side. Did she need to go to the toilet?

But no, she quickly came back. And when she did, her eyes had turned cold and calculating, glaring at him as she tensed her body.

Suddenly, it was like the temperature in the room had dropped to arctic levels.

"E-er?" Jaune blinked at her, unsure of what was going on with her. "You… you okay?"

"You wanted this." Weiss groaned coldly. "So don't come crying to me when it hurts your feelings."

Jaune reared back at the sudden change of tone.

For the first time, he was getting to see the other side of Weiss: the ruthless, ambitious business-woman that she had been raised to become.

* * *

 **Two hours later…**

"And that is why you must never lose your calm! Do not listen to your emotions, do not let yourself talk on your own! Do not run your mouth! Your own words will be used against you!"

"...I... don't like this…" Jaune whined, very uncomfortable. "I want the old Weiss back…"

"Friend?!" Weiss stomped her heel right in front of him, making him jump in fright, "Did you actually mistake me for your friend?" She chuckled cruelly, "Do not be mistaken. I was only placed on the same team as you, nothing else!"

"B-but you helped me several times…" Jaune pointed out.

"Only because I thought your power could prove useful to me. From the beginning, our relationship was nothing but mutual benefits. You know that yourself, right? Friends always have an ulterior motive!"

"N-no, that's not true…" He shook his head, refusing to believe her. "The Weiss I know would never do that… She's a caring person."

"Only because it is the politically correct thing to be." She replied contemptuously, "In order to fit in with our classmates, you have to show well-rounded morals befitting of a true Huntress. To maintain a good public image! It is nothing but manipulation of the opinions of the masses!"

"I-if that's true, why are you telling me this?" Jaune questioned.

"Because you asked for it. Of course, I'm lying, you idiot!" She smacked his knee when she saw him take her seriously, causing Jaune to sigh in relief, "But in order for you to grow, you need to understand the cruel reality that is the business world! Words are weapons, and the one who takes the mental high ground always wins! Because you are feeling hurt by my words, I will have an advantage on you during our negotiation! That is how _they_ think!"

"…" Jaune lowered his head, getting more and more unsure. "I-I… Um…"

"Do you think Ozpin will not use such methods?" Weiss questioned relentlessly, not letting him the time to answer, "Do you think he won't point out how you destroyed Winchester's body? Do you think he won't make you feel like crap, to convince you to stay isolated from others? You must _not_ let yourself be influenced by these arguments!" She raised her voice, "My own father played the guilt card on me, so you better be prepa-"

She suddenly froze, realizing she had said a little too much.

"Y-your own… father?" Jaune repeated, gaping at her.

What did she mean, her own father played the guilt card on her?

Jaune couldn't know, since he never had one, but… Weren't fathers supposed to support their children?

That's how it is, right? Just look at Mr. Xiao-Long, he's a perfect example of a great dad.

"…Forget that," Weiss coughed and stepped back. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly.

Jaune once again sighed in relief as he watched the expression on her face slowly return to the normal Weiss.

Scary… That Weiss sure had been intimidating.

She turned around and walked to the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face, and looked at her reflection in the mirror, exhausted.

 _She hates this._ Jaune realized.

"H-hey, Weiss…" He called hesitantly, "Let's stop this… Okay?"

"…Who-" She glanced at him, her gaze reverting back to a full glare for a moment, before it turned nicer as she realized it was only Jaune. "Oh…" She breathed in relief. "Right…"

"…I think I got it, I don't need any more advice now." Jaune said.

"…You got it?" She asked tiredly.

"Yeah…"

"That's good…" She sighed. "Or maybe that's bad... I don't know."

"Don't worry about it too much," Jaune waved his hand, kinda worried for her.

"Right." She breathed, "I'm… gonna leave then."

"Okay…"

Jaune watched her walk to the window without a word. She looked like she could really use a break…

Stepping on the edge of the window, she paused for a moment, before jumping away and leaving, without saying a word.

Thinking about it, Jaune may have opened up about himself to his team, but the same could not be said for Weiss, or even Blake. What did he know about them, really? Not that much. And now he wanted to know more.

 _Well, one thing's for sure_ _… Let's_ _never ask_ _Weiss_ _to do that again._ Jaune decided.

* * *

 **With Weiss.**

 _It has been a while since I last flipped my 'switch' like that…_

Maybe she should not have tried teaching to Jaune what the Schnee family had taught her… That ideology had messed her up in more ways than one.

Yet, in order to get into the right mood, she had just put on the ' _mask_ '. The one that she had worn so often back at home, that when looking in the mirror, she did not recognize herself anymore.

 _It still takes me a while to get it off._ _Come on,_ _Weiss_ _, get composed._ _What would Winter say?_

Weiss walked back into her dorm, and let herself drop on her bed. She gave a sigh as she thought back to her family. She had not once called ever since she had left Atlas.

Weiss had at least sent a couple of letters to Winter. But her mother, her father, and Whitley… How were they doing, Weiss wondered?

And even though she wondered about them, she never called them.

Why? Because Weiss hated wearing the ' _mask_ ', of course.

Weiss just couldn't be herself around her parents, because of the weight of their endless expectations and harsh criticism. Especially from her father. She hated that oppressive atmosphere. His eyes constantly judging her.

Yet, at the same time, Weiss felt guilty for not calling her family. Because, well, they were family, and she was the daughter of that family… The heiress, even. Of course, she felt bad that she did not even contact them.

Especially when she thought about her mother's drinking problem, or her little brother staying alone in such an atmosphere, or her Father's stressful workload from managing the company. They all needed help, that was certain. Yet Weiss had run away, which had most likely poured salt onto their wounds.

So she couldn't help but think that she was making things worse for them by running away from home like this. But she would have also felt terrible if she had stayed home.

One way or another, Weiss felt bad about the situation, regardless of her decision.

Well... Breaking free often required sacrifices.

So Weiss had chosen to try to get a taste of freedom, away from such a heavy environment, and came here… to Beacon.

"Weiss?"

"Hm?"

Blake's face suddenly appeared above hers, her golden eyes narrowing and her cat ears flat on her hair.

"You okay?"

"Yes," Weiss answered automatically. "Where's Ruby?"

"She's working on her new weapon, won't be back for a while," Blake replied, before jumping away.

"…"

The Faunus quickly came back with a cup of coffee.

"Here. That should keep you awake."

Weiss remained cold and inexpressive, making sure to-

Ah… Wait.

 _T_ _hat's right…_ Weiss remembered, _I don't need to pretend here._

Weiss exhaled softly as she allowed herself to relax, making the golden eyes in front of her narrow.

"Thanks, Blake." Weiss gave her a heartfelt smile and accepted the cup.

"That's better." Blake smiled as the heiress took a sip. "What's going on, Weiss? You seem preoccupied."

Weiss tensed at the personal question, already putting her mask back on, to protect herself.

"Hey." Blake frowned. "You don't have to tell me."

It had become a reflex at this point. For Weiss to be perfect, she had to look like she was always fine.

It took a monumental effort for her to relax again. That session with Jaune had really reminded her of things that she would have preferred to forget… She hoped he would never ask to do that again, she would probably have to refuse.

"Blake… Do you have family?" Weiss asked eventually.

"…Yes."

"Do you miss them?"

Her cat ears flattened on her hair. "Yes…"

"I miss my family too…" Weiss breathed, "But at the same time, I don't want to see them."

"..."

"I don't make much sense, I know..." Weiss chuckled dryly.

"…No, you do make sense." Blake bowed her head. "Me too…"

Weiss looked at Blake. "You too?"

"I did something bad and pushed them away… my parents." Blake specified. "It's been a long time since I've seen them."

"How long?"

"Years."

"… _Years?_!" Weiss gasped, widening her eyes.

"We had a fight, and I'm just… It turned out that I was wrong… about everything." Blake muttered regretfully. "And now, I can't bear to face them."

"You feel like you've let them down… so you don't call them?" Weiss assumed.

"They… they probably hate me now…" Blake declared sadly, her cat ears trying to hide under her hair.

"…" Weiss was left speechless.

This was surprising, Blake did not open up very often, she was usually a pretty mysterious girl.

"I'm the same... My parents didn't want me to leave." Weiss declared. "But I did it anyway."

"...Me too." Blake nodded along.

"And I don't really want to give some news..."

"...Me neither..."

"...It's just too..." Weiss hesitated.

"...It's just too hard." Blake finished with her.

"..."

"..."

"…What did you do?" Weiss asked after a moment of silence.

"Huh?"

"You said you did something bad and pushed your parents away." Weiss said, "What did you do?"

"I'd… rather not talk about it." Blake turned away, uncomfortable.

 _I pried too much_. Weiss realized.

"The point is…" Blake stared at Weiss, "It's normal to feel down when you've left your family behind, against their wishes."

"…"

"It's natural to wonder what they're currently doing... It will pass." Blake nodded. "Don't worry."

"Is that how it is…?" Weiss sighed.

"Not really," Blake smiled, "But a good book makes it easier to avoid thinking about it."

Saying that, she handed Weiss a book.

' _A man with two souls'_ Weiss read.

"Not smut?" She raised an eyebrow, "How surprising. I'm almost disappointed."

"I enjoy all kinds of literature," Blake smiled and jumped back to her bed.

"…"

Weiss decided to take her advice and give it a try. She opened the book and started reading.

Meanwhile, Blake went back to reading her own book, too.

"…"

"…"

Time passed.

Sometimes, the two girls heard the other turn the page of her book, along with a bird singing outside.

It was a comfortable silence; a nice, cozy atmosphere.

Though the two of them were each reading a different book, on different beds, without communicating with each other… comfortable smiles had grown on their faces.

They were both away from their respective families, but at that moment, it felt like they were able to have something warm and precious again, away from such heavy problems.

From that point onward, Weiss and Blake would start reading together a lot more often, without really talking to each other, just to seek a quiet, serene, and enjoyable company.

* * *

 **A few days later, with Jaune.**

"I'm getting kinda nervous…" Jaune mumbled, uncomfortable.

He and Miss Goodwitch were heading to the headmaster's office, the two of them inside an elevator rising to the top of the tower.

It was _time_.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You said you wanted to see Ozpin, but… What are you going to ask him?"

"Er…" Jaune scratched his head, remembering Weiss' words from the day before.

 _Listen, Jaune: you must conceal your intentions._

 _Do not take an appointment. Do not tell them what you are going to request. Surprise is key, so that they don't have time to plan counter-arguments. Be quick and confident!_

Jaune felt like he could trust Miss Goodwitch, but just to be sure:

"I just want to thank him..." Jaune said.

This made Miss Goodwitch raise her other eyebrow at him, but thankfully she didn't comment on it.

The elevator finally stopped and opened its doors, revealing a large room with giant windows.

Right in front of these windows was Ozpin's desk, above which giant gears were moving. It seemed gears and clockworks were the themes of this office.

The headmaster himself was sat at his desk, apparently doing paperwork.

"Ozpin," Miss Goodwitch greeted.

"Glynda," Ozpin replied, looking up. He raised his eyebrow when he saw him. "And… Mr. Arc...?"

He seemed surprised.

"Hello, professor…" Jaune greeted as he followed after Miss Goodwitch, approaching the desk. "Um, it's very nice to meet you."

"You as well." He smiled pleasantly, "Miss Goodwitch has told me a lot about you."

"Ahaha…" Jaune laughed awkwardly, "Um... I'm sure she left something out?"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"…E-er… N-nevermind." Jaune blushed.

Not a good start. Not a good start at all.

"To what may I owe the pleasure, Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked.

Once again, Weiss' words surged back in Jaune's mind.

 _Butter him up, so that he'll be more inclined to listen to your request. Just like you did with me._ Weiss' voice surged in his head again. _Remember to play the fool, so that he underestimates you. He will be more eager to release an honest and dumb Jaune than a scheming Jaune._

" _The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."_

 _This quote is misleading: the one speaking did not actually believe of himself that he did not know anything. It was simply his way of disarming people. Sometimes you have to play dumb so that others let their guards down._

"O-oh, yes." Jaune clapped his hands as if he just remembered, "First, I wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to come to this school."

"You should thank Miss Crappert for that, Mr. Arc," Ozpin smiled. "She was the one to call us, after all."

"It was a bit late, wasn't it." Jaune frowned. "I would have liked to meet Miss Goodwitch sooner."

"Now, now. Let's not judge Miss Crappert too harshly… I am sure she did her best for you to give a normal childhood."

"Right…" Jaune rolled his eyes, unwilling to spend more time talking about _that_ person. "I had a question for you, headmaster, it's about my training…" Jaune lost his voice as he approached the desk.

"Hm?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"E-er…" Jaune hesitated, before gathering his courage, "I… I want to go back to my classmates." He finally demanded.

"Oh?"

"I want to go back to being a normal student!" Jaune repeated.

"…Jaune!" Miss Goodwitch spoke up.

"It's fine, Glynda." Ozpin smiled. "…I was wondering when you would ask, Mr. Arc."

"R-really?" Jaune widened his eyes.

"You do understand why you were isolated from your peers?" He questioned.

"Yes. But I can control my semblance now." Jaune stated, "I-it is no longer an issue, I ... I won't hurt anyone anymore."

"…That is your word against your actions, unfortunately, Mr. Arc." Ozpin replied, "It may be that you have gained control over your semblance simply because you haven't been exposed to normal school life, or to people who will challenge your emotional state as Mr. Winchester did. Therefore, in that regard, releasing you would have detrimental effects."

 _He's prepared for this,_ Jaune grimly realized as he listened to him.

"You're… You're wrong. It's the reverse." Jaune protested, his voice shaking, "N-not releasing me would have detrimental effects."

"Oh?" Ozpin leaned backwards on his chair, clearly comfortable with the conversation, almost as if he was enjoying it. "How so?"

Jaune gulped, remembering what Weiss had told him about the dangers of isolation.

"Professor… Isolation is a dangerous thing, you know." Jaune started, "The more I stay isolated, the easier it is for people to deceive me. Isolated people… really lose touch with reality."

"…"

"…The way I see it, if someone is urging me to remain isolated, it's because they want to control and influence me all by themselves." Jaune stated, basically repeating what Weiss had told him by heart, word for word. "Whether it's intentional or not, it is still a _malicious_ thing to do!"

"…Jaune!" Miss Goodwitch spoke up, outraged.

"Let him finish, Glynda." Ozpin requested.

"It doesn't matter if someone is introverted or not," Jaune continued, "Either way, isolation can cause great psychological harm. I can't remain separated from others like this forever. Until now, I've loved Beacon, but currently, I'm starting to hate it, it's becoming like a jail for me. I… I feel… _oppressed_."

"I understand that," Ozpin replied calmly. His eyes narrowed at him, making Jaune freeze on the spot. "However, isn't ' _isolation_ ' a bit of an extreme word? Even though you are still seeing various members of the staff, and training daily with Glynda." Ozpin pointed out, "Professor Xiao-Long has even allowed you to see your partner Miss Rose. We can do the same with all of your friends and plan weekly visits.  
"In such terms, I do not think you are isolated, Mr. Arc.  
"Also, you may talk about psychological harm, but what about the harm you may bring onto others?"

"L-like I said, I... I have mastered my semblance." Jaune replied, "Please! I won't bring harm to others." Jaune claimed. "I swear!"

 _Do not give in to your emotions!_ Weiss' cold voice reminded him. _Your opponent will use them against you._

"That is still too early to tell for sure," Ozpin replied. "I'm sorry, Mr. Arc. We cannot simply take your word for it. We can discuss your release at later terms during your the second semester. In the meantime, please remain patient, I understand it may be frustrating for you, but this is all necessary; we must follow procedure."

"N-n-no…! I won't discuss it at a later term!" Jaune exclaimed. "It's... It's here or never. I came to Beacon to master my semblance! Now that I control it, I… I-I have no reason to stay here anymore."

As he spoke, Jaune once again remembered Weiss' words.

' _Listen, Jaune. I know… I know what I'm about to say will be hard to hear… Trust me, I know.  
_ _But you absolutely cannot stay like this. The school is exercising control over you. At this rate, you will lose your sense of self and become a doll that will do whatever the school tells you to do.  
_ … _Just like I was, with my family._ _I know it myself. If you want to grow as an independent person, and discover more about yourself, you must take your own decisions by yourself.  
_ _Sometimes, it is necessary to leave your family, as I did. Even if it's painful.  
_ _For you, Jaune… It may be that you need to leave Beacon on your own.  
_ _If you truly want to be freed, you must have the determination to abandon your team. Do you understand? Just like me leaving my family was necessary, you leaving Beacon and your team, maybe the same kind of necessary.'_

' _But… I can't do that…'_

' _I know it's unfair. But that is the kind of decision you have to make. Will you stand on your own, or stay the school's lackey?'_

Although Jaune didn't know the details, he knew that Weiss spoke from experience. Whatever was going on with her family pushed her to come to Beacon instead of staying in Atlas. For her to go as far as using the word ' _lackey_ '… That Schnee family sure had something weird going on, Jaune was certain of it.

And if Weiss said so… He could trust her judgment.

…No, actually, he didn't even need her opinion. Jaune himself had known it all along. He couldn't stay like this.

It was necessary to give an ultimatum!

"Release me," Jaune finally demanded after a moment of silence, "…or I will quit Beacon myself!"

"…!" Ozpin widened his eyes in surprise.

"Jaune!" Miss Goodwitch exclaimed, shocked.

"You can't hold me here against my will!" Jaune continued, his breathing accelerating, and his voice shaking, "I-I've finally gone through a breakthrough with my semblance… I-if you don't let me spread my wings, I will…! I will leave the school by myself!"

"Should you leave the school," Ozpin warned, "We will no longer be able to protect you from the authorities, or even some malicious organizations when you break something-"

" ' _When_ ' I break something? Y-you mean ' _if_ ' I break something!" Jaune cut him, starting to feel annoyed. The headmaster did not have an ounce of trust in his ability to control his semblance. "Th-that won't be a problem! As I said, I won't break anything anymore! I know I won't."

"…"

"Release me now! Or I quit!" Jaune claimed, his stomach twisting painfully. His heart was hammering in his chest, "I've already prepared my bags! And I never even wanted to become a Huntsman, to begin with! I'll do it!"

"…"

There was a short moment of silence as Ozpin stared him into the eyes.

"…Mr. Arc…" The headmaster eventually sighed, his expression turned sad and regretful. "Would you really be willing to… leave your teammates behind?"

Jaune's heart squeezed in his chest.

 _So this is his trump card…_

Ozpin was going to let him do it. He was actually going to let him quit Beacon. He was not going to release him and let him be a normal student again. Because he did not believe Jaune was capable of leaving his friends behind.

 _Don't let him get the mental high ground._ Weiss' voice came back to him, _Say something!_

Say what?

 _Say that I'm willing to leave them._

Indeed. Very simple.

But… Why were these words stuck in Jaune's throat? They would not come out… He just could not say it.

Jaune's stomach twisted dreadfully.

What… What should Jaune say?

"Connections are important, Mr. Arc." Ozpin was continuing, "If you quit Beacon, you also cut off all your connections, all the help you could get from us. This includes your friends."

"…"

"I am sure Miss Crappert has already told you… Beacon is your _last chance_. After that, you will not receive more assistance from society."

"…"

"…And if you really quit, you would leave Miss Rose without a partner. I'm sure she would be very sad to hear that…" Ozpin continued to speak with a regretful expression.

 _Don't listen to him._ Weiss' voice claimed, _He's manipulating you! He is using guilt!_

 _No, he's right…_ _Ruby would be s_ _o s_ _ad…_ Jaune thought, his willpower wavering. _She wou_ _ld be…  
_ _Wait… Ruby…?_

Suddenly, an idea surged in Jaune's mind, and he widened his eyes.

It was a genius idea, one that would require him to act selfishly.

The kind of idea that Jaune would never have gotten if he hadn't experienced the cold, ruthless negotiation methods that Weiss had told him about. But it could work. He had to try it.

"A-ah," when Jaune spoke up again, his voice was trembling under the pressure of Ozpin's gaze, "Wh-what are you talking about, headmaster…? Ruby… Ruby will stay with _me_!" He declared, pointing a shaking thumb at his chest.

Ozpin blinked in confusion, and stared at him. "...What do you mean…?"

"She said… She said that if I were to quit Beacon, she'd follow me and stay with me." Jaune continued, his heart hammering in his chest as the headmaster's gaze was piercing through his soul. "I-I remember it. Sh-she said… She said: ' _I will stick with you until the end. Even if you're expelled I'm gonna quit Beacon'._ That's what she said…!"

He gulped as his words led to a heavy silence, with Miss Goodwitch looking back and forth between him and Ozpin.

Jaune had managed to turn Ozpin's own trump card against him!

 _I'm sorry, Ruby…_

Jaune was shamelessly using Ruby's feelings of loyalty for him against Ozpin! This alone spoke of how much he was sick of being isolated.

But it couldn't be helped. It was because of the heartless tips that Weiss had given him, that Jaune had been able to think up this despicable method: using his own partner as leverage…

Needless to say, Jaune felt like the lowest of scumbags right now!

What would Summer say?

 _This is a negotiation._ Weiss' voice reminded him coldly. _Everything is allowed. Play dirty_.

"…Did she, now." Ozpin muttered lowly, staring at him. "And you believe her father would let this happen?"

He thought Jaune was bluffing?

Then… how about this?

"Y-yes, it's because I knew her mother, Summer Rose." Jaune explained. "Summer was a huntress who used to visit me. She taught me a lot, before she died, including meditation. Ruby… I think she is taking it upon herself to finish what her mother started. And I've talked with Mr. Xiao-Long, I don't think he is someone who will go against his daughter's wishes… let alone his wife's. And I want to help Summer's daughter, too, that's why… we'll stay together.

"And don't get me wrong… I-it's not like I would be kidnapping her…!" Jaune added hurriedly, "She would be the one leaving on her own... Y-yeah, even if I leave Beacon alone and abandon Ruby behind on her own… That girl, I wouldn't be surprised if she ran away to chase after me. That's just how she is!"

 _I'm really sorry, Ruby… Telling this to the headmaster like that._

"…I see." Ozpin sighed.

At this moment, it seemed like the headmaster finally gave up.

Ruby was _that_ precious to him, huh…

 _NOW!_ Weiss' voice rang through his mind, cold, merciless, decisive. _You have the mental high ground! Go in for the kill!_

"…Plus, y-you said I would not receive help from society anymore… But that's only true for the kingdom of Vale, isn't it?" Jaune asked, sweating out of nervousness, "I can still apply to other Huntsmen academies, in other kingdoms. I'm sure I would get accepted." Jaune stated, "In fact, I have already asked headmaster Ironwood of Atlas Academy… And… And I have also considered sending letters to headmasters Lionheart at Haven and Theodore at Shade…"

"…And?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"…I don't have an answer yet, but I would really prefer to stay at Beacon." Jaune leaned forward, "Please, headmaster, it doesn't have to be like this. Please allow me to be a normal student at your school!" He begged once more, "Give me a trial period of a month! If I break anything I'm not supposed to within a month… Then you can take me back to isolation, and I will obey, I promise! If you just give me this chance, I won't disappoint you!"

"…"

Miss Goodwitch spoke up. "He does seem to have full control over his semblance, Ozpin." Jaune grinned at her. She was rooting for him! "It has already been three weeks since he hasn't broken something unintentionally." She added.

Ozpin was silent for a few seconds, before he finally spoke up:

"Mr. Arc…" He smiled, and glanced at Miss Goodwitch, "Glynda never mentioned how _eloquent_ you had become."

Miss Goodwich let out a chuckle as Jaune blushed under the compliment.

"Th-thanks…"

"The trial period you were talking about. It will last until the end of the first semester." Ozpin decided, "One month is too short of a test period. Am I understood?"

"O-of course! I understand completely!"

"According to Miss Goodwitch's report, you will also have to see a therapist." He added.

"A therapist?" Jaune frowned. "Again?"

"The same person you were seeing years ago." Miss Goodwitch specified.

"Oh, very well, it's been a while," Jaune nodded easily, remembering that the therapist he had seen was a good person.

"Do not waste this chance, Mr. Arc," Ozpin warned.

"I-I won't!" Jaune bowed his head.

"…For you to come to me so prepared..." The headmaster smiled at him. "I must say, your spirit impressed me. I can tell you will make an excellent partner for Miss Rose… You already have so much faith in her."

"Er… Th-thank you," Jaune bowed his head, embarrassed.

"She possesses a spark, doesn't she?" Ozpin mused.

"Y-yeah… A spark…" Jaune nodded, finding the word oddly appropriate.

"Sometimes, it is such a spark that terrifies me, even more than the darkness of Grimm." Ozpin declared,  
"I believe we were all meant to shine, as children do… It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone.  
"As Miss Rose lets her own light shine brightly, it illuminates the people around her, and she unconsciously allows them to ignite the spark hidden within their soul, as they are liberated from their own fears. And thus they will shine a new, bright light, and continue the cycle.  
"The presence of such honest souls automatically liberates others around them…"

"…Um…" Jaune blinked, not sure what in the world the headmaster was rambling about.

"You, Jaune Arc, are a perfect example of this." Ozpin finished, giving him a… nostalgic smile?

Who knew what this man was thinking.

"Er… Thanks." Jaune said awkwardly.

"I see that I am boring you." He chuckled, making Jaune wince in embarrassment. "I won't hold you any longer… How about you go announce the good news to your team?" Ozpin suggested, "I'm sure they're missing you."

"Yes, sir! Thank you so much, I won't let you down!"

* * *

 **Minutes later.**

Jaune was ecstatic as the elevator was taking him and Miss Goodwitch back down the tower.

Crap, that was scary… So scary!

That confrontation with the headmaster had been soooo terrifying. Jaune had nearly gone into stage-fright several times, stuttering and babbling his way through the conversation… It had been so hard to even find the courage to speak up…! Just thinking about it was making him shudder again!

And yet, he had managed to convince Ozpin!

He had done it!

As the elevator's doors opened, Jaune rapidly took a step outside to take a breath of fresh air, eager to go announce the news to his team.

"Jaune!" Miss Goodwitch called him as he was already jogging towards the dorm.

Jaune stopped, and looked back at her.

"That... was impressive," She smiled at him. "I was surprised… You've _grown_ _up._ "

"You're right, I was surprised too!" Jaune grinned excitedly, "Thank you for everything, Miss Goodwitch!"

"...Keep working hard and you'll go far, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch nodded, "Now, off you go! You have some friends to see."

Jaune didn't hesitate.

He started running.

* * *

 **With Yang.**

Yang was making her way through the corridors when someone suddenly crashed into her.

"Oof!"

"Aouch!"

"Who's... Jaune?" Yang recognized after looking at him. "…Heyyyy, how are you doing, noodle boy?" She grinned. "Or crashing boy? Or is it explosion boy now?"

The blonde looked up, rubbing his shoulder painfully. "Yang!" He widened his eyes and stood up, smiling widely. "It's good to see you…! I-I just got released, and um, I'm really sorry for what I did to your arm…" He bowed his head, "I swear it will never happen again, you know, I got a hang of my semblance now!"

"N-no, uh… It's… It's fine…" Yang said awkwardly as she played with her hair nervously.

"It's not fine at all!" He insisted, "I broke your arm… I'm really sorry that happened."

"…Well, uh... My arm got broken only because I thought you broke Crescent Rose." Yang declared, unable to look at him in the eyes. "And, uh… I was wrong. What I did really didn't help your case with the Cardin thing… When Ruby gets hurt, I kinda lose my temper… It's no excuse, but I just wanted to protect her." She pulled her hair over her shoulder awkwardly, "So, um, I just want to say, I'm sorry, too."

"…" Jaune was taken back for a moment. "Ah, no… It's completely fine." he eventually smiled, "Ruby has a really good sister." He nodded, "Please continue to defend her so passionately! She doesn't show it, but Ruby, she really needs her big sister."

"…"

"But you're both in different teams…" Jaune continued, deep in thought, "Hm, hm, I get it, family is important. But she's still mad at you, huh? You must miss each other a lot." He caressed his chin pensively. "Then, how about we hang out together, both our teams?"

"..."

Yang bowed her head, looking away in shame.

"We'll say it's my and Pyrrha's idea," Jaune suggested, grinning, oblivious to Yang's feelings, "That way, you and Ruby will have an excuse to see each other!"

 _Ah… How did I ever have a problem with this guy?_ Yang thought, _That's just impossible._

"Yang...?"Jaune called hesitantly, "Is... Is that no good after all?"

"No, that…seems like a great idea," Yang admitted.

"Right? Come on, then!" He grinned, "I haven't even announced my return to my team yet. Come with me!"

He laughed happily and started running towards Ruby's dorm.

"Ah…Hey, don't get too excited!" Yang called after him and followed along.

 _What the hell? This guy… He's completely changed._ She realized. _Where's the awkward guy who couldn't even hold my gaze for two seconds?_ _What in the world happened to him when he was held in quarantine?_

He energetically knocked on his dorm's door.

"Who's there?" A muffled voice came from inside.

"Guess who!" Jaune replied happily.

He and Yang heard three collective gasps come out from behind the door, as well as the noise of Ruby's semblance activating.

The door slammed open.

"Jaune!"

"I'm free!" He revealed, waving his arms excitedly, "They let me go!"

"Eeeeee!" Ruby squealed happily and gave him a quick hug, "Finalllyyyyy!"

"…Good job, Jaune!" Weiss smirked. "Did you consider my advice useful?"

"Very!" Jaune beamed, "Honestly, I don't think I would have managed it without your advice, Weiss! I was right to ask you for help."

Without that knowledge, he would have probably shrunken on himself and accepted the headmaster's refusal instantly.

"Hmph." Weiss bombed her chest, full of herself.

"Welcome back to the team, Jaune," Blake finally spoke up, "Looks like we'll lose some space, it's going to get crowded in here…" She sighed in annoyance.

"Ah, sorry about that..." Jaune apologized, scratching his head.

"I'm joking, dummy," Blake smirked.

"O-oh." Jaune blinked, and grinned at her. "Sassy as always..."

"How about we celebrate?" Yang finally spoke up, "Let's hang out, our two teams together?"

"…"

Yang tried her best to maintain her smile as the three girls turned to stare at her.

"Yeah, Pyrrha was asking us just before." Jaune lied, "And that sounds great! It's been a while since I've seen them. Right, Ruby?"

"Right..." Ruby nodded hesitantly.

"Well, if Pyrrha is asking." Weiss nodded along.

 _Smooth..._

"How are they?" Jaune asked.

"They're good," Yang breathed in relief. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled with the news!"

"Are you done being a yandere?" Ruby suddenly asked Yang.

"You mean, a _Yang_ -dere?" Yang grinned and winked. "Eh? Eeeeh?" She looked at them one after the other, wriggling her eyebrows.

Everyone groaned collectively. Except Jaune, who probably didn't know the meaning of the word.

"That's not even what yandere means," Blake remarked, "I know, cause I had a yandere boyfriend. And it really sucks."

"Really?" Weiss gaped at her, seeing her in a new light. "You had a boyfriend?"

"And here I thought you were gay," Yang commented.

"I'm staying open to new ideas and opportunities, I suppose," Blake replied.

"P-preposterous!" The heiress groaned, making everyone laugh.

With this, the atmosphere finally relaxed, and everything returned to the way it was.

* * *

 **With Glynda.**

"Ozpin," Glynda called, after having head back to his office.

"Glynda." The headmaster simply replied.

"About Jaune... I did not think you would actually release him so early." Glynda admitted. "Honestly, you've surprised me both..."

"...We had no choice, unfortunately." Ozpin said, "It was this or letting him leave Beacon for good…"

"Would that really be so bad, though?" Glynda asked. "He has mastered his semblance. He could start studying a civilian course now. Are you really that skeptical of his progress?"

"…" Ozpin paused for a moment. "Listen, Glynda… We cannot allow him to roam freely without our distant supervision."

"...Why not?" Glynda frowned.

"..."

"...Ozpin?"

"...Well, I suppose it's only fair to tell you." Ozpin sighed.

"Tell me?" Glynda raised an eyebrow.

"…Listen carefully, Glynda. The truth is, Mr. Arc…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"N-no… Such a thing… That's impossible! Are you sure?" Glynda asked, eyes wide after hearing Ozpin talk.

"There is no way to be certain about such things, Glynda… But, for what it is worth, I believe the chances of this not being true are infinitely small."

"I see… this explains everything. And why you want to make him see a therapist…" Glynda breathed shakily, somewhat horrified by what she had just heard. "But… That means, Jaune will never… I mean, he's not really... really..."

She lost her voice.

Ozpin looked at her with sympathy. "No… I'm afraid not."

Glynda paused and turned away, taking a moment to recollect herself.

"…Who else knows about this?" she eventually asked.

"Too many." Ozpin sighed, and enumerated. "The two of us. His former caretaker: Miss Crappert. His biological father. And… the therapist he is going to see."

"…It's not that many...Only five..."

Glynda looked down, frowning, unsure.

"I know that you have grown to care for the boy…" Ozpin spoke up, turning to look at her. "But... he can never know. The very knowledge of it will change him to the core… Do you understand, Glynda?"

Ozpin looked at her in the eyes. He was extremely serious.

"…" Glynda bowed her head. "Yes… I understand, Ozpin. I will guard this secret, just like the others. That goes beyond saying."

"I felt that you should be in the know." Ozpin smiled sadly. "I'm sorry for… burdening you with this knowledge, once again."

"No… We are the ones keeping the kingdoms safe from the evils no one knows about, aren't we?" Glynda patted his arm in support, "We already share a much greater burden than this already."

"…Much greater…" Ozpin hummed. "I must admit... Today, I really felt my age."

He exhaled quietly as she stood by his side, the two of them contemplating the horizon through the window.

* * *

 **A/N: And so, this is the end of the ' _suspension_ ' or ' _isolation_ ' arc, if one can call it that. Sorry I had to hush what Ozpin was revealing to Glynda.**

 **Going to sleep now.**

 **Next chapter: next week**


	11. Daily Life at Beacon II

**A/N: I had a little too much fun at the festival going on in my town for the last two weeks. Anyways, here's a new chapter.**

* * *

 _Drrrriiiii…_

"Good morning team Rainbooooow!"

Jaune snapped his eyes open. "Good morning!" He answered cheerfully.

"Morning," Blake replied as she stretched like a cat.

This was much more lively than Jaune's former room. He had missed this. Everyone was waking up enthusiastically!

"Shut up!" Weiss groaned.

…Well, almost everyone. As usual, Weiss was such a mood.

The daily routine of the team from before Jaune got suspended had returned, and he welcomed it gladly.

First, the same old physical training every morning, of course. Then they usually returned to their dorm to shower, before heading to the cafeteria for breakfast.

However, that day, when Jaune and his team stepped into the cafeteria, the crowd slightly quieted down, staring at them.

"…It's him…" Jaune heard someone whisper.

"The _human bomb_." Another muttered.

" _Crater freak_."

"I heard he could kill someone with a snap of his fingers…"

"What a monster…"

"He easily sent CRDL's leader to the hospital… Even though he's a tough guy who wears heavy armor."

"Really…?"

"They released a dangerous guy like that?"

"Scary…"

Naturally, Jaune tried not to pay attention to such whispers.

 _I'm used to much more insulting comments._

Besides, it was understandable, after blowing up a good portion of the Emerald Forest.

Once he and his teammates had grabbed their food, they quickly looked around to find a seat. Since team PYRN was apparently not up yet, they chose a nearby table.

"Here," Ruby said.

"…That place is reserved." A guy who was already sat at that table spoke up.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked, turning to the guy that just spoke.

"Please don't sit here. There are plenty of empty places."

Weiss frowned. "…And why should we not-"

"It's fine, Weiss," Jaune said, since the guy was obviously glaring at him. Were they scared of him or angry at him? It was hard to tell. "Let's find another place to sit."

"…"

They looked around again, searching for an empty seat. There were plenty, of course, but the people next to these seats were staring at them with barely hidden hostility.

"How about here?" Ruby asked another team.

"No, thanks. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem with Arc," He waved his hand, to which Jaune smiled in relief. It was good to know that not everyone was scared of him. "...But I'd rather not eat with such questionable company…" The guy finished, looking at Blake with contempt.

Blake's ears flattened on her hair, and Jaune instantly dropped his smile.

"H-hey, you...!" He tried to protest, but Ruby cut him.

"What are you saying?!" She exclaimed angrily. "Blake makes for a perfectly good company!"

"For you, maybe." The guy shrugged. "The heiress knows what I mean, right?" He asked, turning to Weiss.

"Why, you little-!" Weiss also gritted her teeth at the group. "I do _not_!"

"It's fine, Weiss, Ruby." Blake gave a smile, "We can find another table."

"…"

And so they moved on again…

"How about here then?" Weiss asked another team of Faunus.

"Hah. Eating with a Schnee scum? No, thanks."

"Go back to your manor in Atlas, rich girl." Another added mockingly.

"She is no scum!" Blake protested vehemently.

"Never-mind, let's find somewhere else…" Weiss sighed.

"Jerks!" Ruby called as they walked away, patting the heiress' arms.

"Here?" Jaune asked another group of people.

"I'd rather not…" They replied, looking at him apprehensively.

"Please find another table…" They requested, clearly afraid of him this time.

"…"

Jaune gritted his teeth and glared at them, which made them shrunk in their seat.

Ironically, he did not mind the negative comments about himself, but when people insulted Weiss and Blake, he found himself quite annoyed, and wanted to smack some sense into them.

After all, while it was normal and justified for Jaune to be feared, Blake and Weiss had done nothing wrong.

Jaune had not eaten in the cafeteria in a while, so he hadn't known things like this had been happening to Weiss and Blake.

Discrimination against Faunus, or against the Schnee family, or… now against Jaune himself. They made up quite the controversial team, honestly. Thank god at least Ruby was considered likable by most people.

And even then, some were still jealous that Ruby had entered Beacon 2 years early and even made leader…

Yeah, team Rainbow was not very liked among Beacon students. Unlike team PYRN who had the famous Pyrrha, the (un)funny Yang and the crazy Nora.

"…"

"Hey, Arc! Don't eat anything too spicy, or you'll blow up the cafeteria!"

People around them laughed mockingly at the remark.

"…"

"Grrrr..." Ruby growled through her teeth like an angry beast. She was trying to be intimidating but ended up looking adorable.

"Don't listen to them," Blake advised Jaune.

"...I'm not," Jaune replied, giving her a reassuring smile, as he was very much used to such comments. "Tell that to Ruby."

At this point, he had already raised his ' _filter_ '. It was something his brain had made up somehow, in order to automatically filter out all the negative comments, so that he could barely hear any and not be bothered with it. Nothing special, really, it was a very common ability that bully-victims developed.

"Are you guys lost?" Someone else asked.

"Pick a seat already!"

Another series of laughs.

"Hey, Ruby, don't worry about it," Jaune tried to reassure his partner whose expression looked like she might snap at any moment.

"Uugh… I know... Can Yang hurry up already…" Ruby mumbled.

Usually, team Rainbow sat with Yang's team to avoid such problems, but team Pyrene was not there yet.

"Hey, rookie!" Someone called loudly, silencing the chuckles and insults.

Looking in the voice's direction, they found Coco standing up and waving at them from her table. And the people that were mocking Jaune suddenly went quiet for some reason.

"Over here! Jaune!" She even called him by his name for the first time, as if to make a point.

"I-it's Coco Adel!" Weiss whispered excitedly, eyes wide.

"I know," Jaune grinned.

"Oooh, thank god!" Ruby sighed in relief.

As team RABW walked over to CVFY's table, they could hear some comments around them.

"Team CVFY is friends with _him_?"

"No way..."

"I guess he might not be that bad after all…"

"Maybe."

"Huh..."

Just by being associated with the insanely popular Coco, people's minds were being changed!

As a self-proclaimed expert in bullying, Jaune recognized what was happening immediately. Coco was basically taking them under her wing, using her popularity to protect them!

In the past, there had been people who had attempted to do the same with Jaune, but he had always ignored them. Now, however, he could accept the help, since his semblance was under control.

"What's up, little rookie?" Coco grinned at him,

"What happened to calling me Jaune?" He sighed.

"That was just a one-time thing. Come on, sit here with us," She pulled out a chair next to Yatsu.

"Thanks, Coco," Jaune smiled, sitting down. "Been a while since I've come to the cafeteria, so I couldn't find a seat." He joked, causing Yatsu to chuckle.

"Sure, that must be why." Coco rolled her eyes. She looked at his teammates, "What's up, Ruby!"

"What is good in the hood!" Ruby grinned back.

The two of them shared a high five.

Huh, what? When did these two get so close?

"You know her, Ruby?" Weiss asked as they all sat down.

"Ah, um…" Ruby scratched her hair, embarrassed, "She just gave me some tips for, uh…"

"Leadership stuff." Coco finished for her.

"Right," Ruby flushed, as if she was embarrassed that she had needed such help.

"Well, I am Weiss Schnee, delighted to meet you." Weiss presented herself.

"I'm Coco. This is Fox, Yatsu, and Velvet." She waved to her teammates.

The two teams all greeted each other.

"Hi, Blake," Velvet greeted shyly.

"Hi." Blake simply replied.

"I've heard what people have said about you." Velvet declared, "But I think you're a very strong person!"

"Uhuh."

"Er… Us Faunus have to band together, right?"

"Right." Blake nodded along. "If you really think so, then I have an interesting read for you." She pulled out a book, "It's called ' _Ninjas of_ _lo_ \- "

 _Smack!_

Weiss smacked Blake's head with her own book.

"Stop trying to get people to read your smut!"

"S-smut!" Velvet gasped, blushing.

"It's not smut," Blake reassured her, though her cheeks turned a guilty pink. "It is simply getting a little too descriptive at times… But the plot makes it worth it."

"I-is that so?" Velvet blinked, her rabbit ears raised in the air.

"Yeah… Worth it…" Ruby nodded along.

"…Can I borrow that book?" Coco asked.

"Sure." Blake smiled evilly as if she was selling some illegal drug and Coco was a new potential addicted prey.

Jaune watched them chat as he munched on his food.

So that book contained only smut? How disappointing. Jaune had assumed it was some kind of important book, since Ruby and Weiss hadn't wanted him to read it, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Though Jaune had never read smut, of course. But it couldn't be that big of a deal, right.

"I-I read it for the plot!" Ruby declared, blushing.

"…You read it too?" Jaune stared at her, before he shook his head at them. "You're all perverts," He voiced his thoughts.

"And you're such a prude," Coco replied, rolling her eyes.

"Weiss was like that, too. Maybe you should give it a try," Blake suggested, leaning towards him with a sinister smile. "There are some important philosophical lessons in this book that I'm sure you will find interesting."

"…Along with other kinds of lessons," Coco nodded along, grinning mischievously.

"Um… I'm good, thanks…" Jaune refused politely. "I'm very busy studying and training already, I don't have time to waste…"

It was true. His schedule was extremely busy, and he did not have time to read. Especially since his reading skills still remained very slow.

To this, Blake narrowed her eyes at him, making him uncomfortable.

"But you have time to waste playing video games with Ruby." Weiss noted.

"…That's not a waste, though!" Jaune protested at Weiss.

Time spent with friends - especially Ruby - was never wasted in Jaune's opinion.

"Hell yeah, do you not know how important it is for us to finish our playthrough?!" Ruby nodded along, crossing her arms.

"You're addicted, Ruby," Weiss suddenly claimed out of nowhere. "Video games are bad, they are causing a spike of negativity through the toxic behavior of online players."

"Oh... Oooh no!" Ruby gasped dramatically, widening her eyes at Weiss. "You're one of _these_ people suffering from brain cancer?! I'm so sorry, Weiss, I didn't know!"

"Don't be a pest! It's the truth!" Weiss insisted vehemently.

As Jaune watched Weiss and Ruby start arguing about the importance of video games, he suddenly noticed someone staring at him from across the table.

It was Fox, Coco's partner.

Fox was staring at him. Really staring. Intensely.

…Almost glaring, actually.

"…?" Jaune averted his eyes and looked down at his food, uncomfortable.

Crap, did Jaune do something wrong to make him angry like that? What did he do?

Plus, he had such a weird gaze… Almost like he didn't really see him, but was just looking in his direction… glaring in his direction.

"Psst, Yatsu," Jaune bumped the elbow of the man sitting next to him.

"What?" The man grunted.

"Your teammate Fox, he's staring at me…" Jaune muttered, "Did I do anything to upset him?"

"…Oh." Yatsu realized and turned to Fox. "It's useless, Fox. Jaune is immune to semblances."

"…What?" Fox frowned, looking at Jaune. "So you couldn't hear me the whole time? How lame."

"Eh, what?" Jaune blinked, very confused.

"I can communicate with people telepathically." Fox explained, "But not with you, apparently… Too bad, I had a great prank in mind."

"Ah? Sorry about that…" Jaune apologized, "There's nothing I can do about it."

"It's fine," Fox waved his hand. "It's a shame we can't invite you to our special telepathic ' _teamspeak_ ', though."

" _Teamspeak_?" Jaune blinked in confusion.

"It's like, a mental Discord server, and I'm the admin," Fox explained.

Huh. So _that_ was why team CVFY worked so well together! No wonder they were the best team of Beacon.

"It gives you a reason to use your actual voice, though," Coco pointed out. "We don't hear it enough."

"Bah…" Fox grimaced.

"Fox is blind," Yatsu explained to Jaune, as he was still staring, a little confused by how Fox's eyes were looking.

" _Blind_!" Jaune gasped, shocked. "But then, how do you… Uh…" He hesitated, a little embarrassed to ask such a question, "How do you know where stuff is?"

"I focus my Aura to sense my surroundings." Fox answered, not bothered at all by the question, "Like a minor extrasensory perception, so to say."

"Huh?" Jaune blinked, "How does that work?"

"There's a series of boring training sessions you have to go through." He shrugged, apparently grimacing at the memory of it, "It's a very long, dull process."

"No, I won't find it boring at all!" Jaune replied enthusiastically. "Aura control is my one strong point, so it really interests me!"

"But it requires a complete mastery of meditation…"

"No problem!" Jaune insisted, giving a thumbs up and grinning, "I'm already a master of meditation, I got this!"

Fox looked at him. Or rather, he looked in his direction. "Maybe, but it takes years of training. For someone who isn't blind, it's just not worth the time to learn it."

"…Is that so?" Jaune sighed, disappointed.

"I disagree, actually." A familiar voice called behind them.

Turning to the voice, they found Ren was standing right next to them, with his team not too far behind him.

"Having taken the time to learn that skill, and not being blind, I can attest that it's an extremely useful technique to sense the presence of Grimm out there in the wild," Ren declared.

"You know it too?" Jaune gaped at him.

"I'm Lie Ren." Ren presented himself to Fox and Yatsu. "Call me Ren."

"Fox Alistair."

"Yatsuhashi Daichi."

"Yatsu for short," Fox added.

"And I'm Noraaa! Good to have you back, Jauney!"

The two partners sat with them, while Yang and Pyrrha sat on the other end of the table, waving hello to Jaune from a distance.

"Morning, Jaune." Yang waved.

"Welcome back," Pyrrha simply said to him, before sitting with Yang.

Yang's arm still encased in plaster – that sight made Jaune feel guilty all over again – so Pyrrha was apparently helping her to eat.

"Yang, don't be ridiculous." Pyrrha rolled her eyes.

"Come on, say it! Say it!"

"Fine…"Pyrrha sighed. "Um… S-say ' _aaah_ '…"

"Aaaaah~" Yang gaped happily, and closed her mouth on the food, while Pyrrha looked mildly embarrassed.

Wow. Did this happen at every meal?

 _I kinda want to break my ar_ _m_ _too_ _, now._ Jaune mused, glancing at Ruby who was laughing at the situation.

Looking back at his side of the table, Nora was busy praising her partner as usual.

"Yeah, I can confirm that it's a very useful skill!" Nora nodded enthusiastically, "When we traveled around in Mistral, it allowed us to bypass Grimm, or sneak closer to the isolated ones!"

"You manage to do that? Impressive," Fox commented at Ren. "My max range is about thirty to fifty meters."

"Probably because you're constantly using it, at all times." Ren pointed out, "I, in comparison, only need to focus for five seconds every once in a while, which allows me to use it more intensely, and have a range of about three hundred meters."

"Three hundred?!" Fox gaped.

"Meh, he's being humble." Nora added smugly, "It's actually more, like, five hundred, really."

"Nora…" Ren sighed.

"That's admirable." Yatsu praised. "You must have amazing self-control and discipline to achieve such a feat."

"My semblance helps me with Aura control." Ren nodded, humbly accepting the compliment. Ren was cool like that.

"…So do you think it's something worth learning?" Jaune asked him again.

"Definitely, but it would take you a long time," Ren warned him. "Years, probably."

"There. See?" Fox nodded along.

Jaune hummed quietly, weighing his options.

Something useful like that, it definitely seemed better to learn than what he had been doing during Miss Goodwitch's training, which had focused on his semblance.

Now that he was no longer isolated, Jaune no longer trained with Miss Goodwitch, either. Instead, they had weekly meetings together, but other than that, Jaune was now responsible for his own training.

Being able to sense things from a distance, and even sensing things all around him including dead angles, effectively giving him a 360 degrees field of 'vision', it seemed like a great skill to learn.

…And Jaune wanted to become useful for his team instead of only being able to do the same thing: breaking, breaking, breaking…

It would be great if they started to rely on him for something else other than his semblance. He wanted to work hard to earn his place in the team, instead of always depending on his semblance.

This reminded Jaune of something, and he look up at Nora.

"Um, Nora, about your weapon… I'm s- Bwurf!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Nora forced a pancake into his mouth!

"I've already reassembled Magnhild, so it's fine, it's fine!" She reassured while she pushed the pancake further into his mouth.

"Bwreaflly?" Jaune blinked at her, relieved.

"Nora, don't put pancakes in people's mouths." Ren lectured with a monotonous tone.

"But a voice in my head told me to…" Nora replied innocently.

"Don't listen to it...!"

"Fox!" Yatsu sighed. "Don't tell people to stuff pancake in other people's mouths."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Fox replied.

This made them all share a laugh.

* * *

 **Later.**

That day, their first class was Weapon Crafting and Upkeep, a class at which Jaune was exceptionally _useless_.

"My favorite class!" Ruby gushed.

"Yay…" Jaune raised his fist unenthusiastically.

 _Great, three hours of doing literally nothing. What a treat…_

Thankfully, the evaluation and grading process of that discipline was done in pairs.

Each partner generally paired up with each other, and Ruby had naturally paired up with him at the start of the semester.

As a result, Jaune had very good grades even though he was completely useless in that subject. Ruby loved weapon crafting, after all, and had absolutely no problem carrying the workload of two people.

In fact, what made Jaune find comfort in taking this class was that he would spend three hours chatting with Ruby. And he was actually learning a lot from her, and trying his best to take an interest into this complicated subject that Ruby loved so much.

"Come on, Jaune!" She nudged his shoulder, "Cheer up, I'll show you my new weapon that I'm currently building!"

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Your new weapon?"

"Crescent Rose Mk II!" She revealed as she pulled out a bunch of schematics, "An improved version of Crescent Rose that I built from the damaged parts! And guess what!"

"What!"

"It's gonna have _SIX_ different forms!"

"Six?!" Jaune gaped at her, his excitement building up.

"Shhhht!" She shushed him, "I haven't told anyone but professor Mulberry yet!"

"Six forms?" Jaune lowered his voice. "That's… That's _insane_!"

"Hah! It has to be insane to be my weapon~" Ruby smirked proudly.

"So what forms is it going to have? The previous one had the sniper and the scythe form…"

"It also had a spear form… kinda." Ruby added. "For the new one, I'm gonna add a sword form, cause I've noticed swords are really much more useful when fighting against other people."

"I see… But for Grimm, the scythe is the best?"

"The scythe form is the best when it comes to reaping tons of weak enemies or slicing off a giant Grimm's neck. But if the opponent knows how to parry or sidestep, I'm in trouble, even with my speed…" She mumbled, starting to mutter under her breath like a nerd, "And in the case of an opponent extremely strong, a scythe is easy to disarm, as well, and that's a problem."

"Not for much longer, though!" Jaune grinned.

Jaune and Ruby continued to regularly spar against each other to learn hand-to-hand combat. The two of them were greatly improving, though Jaune's progress was a lot slower than Ruby's. It was still useful for him to get used to seeing punches and kicks coming, and tell which one was a feint, for example.

As for Ruby, should she be disarmed, she would no longer be defenseless.

"And check this out! This form is…"

"A flame-thrower? Jaune gaped. "That's so cool!"

"It's not just a flame thrower, silly! It can use other kinds of Dust as well, like Ice and Wind!"

"Wow." Jaune breathed, amazed, "What about lightning dust?"

"Nah, doesn't work, it's too volatile, it disperses into the ground too easily. I'd have to jump above the target, it would be too annoying to set up." Ruby said, "But this one! Check out this one!" She grinned.

"Holy crap," Jaune widened his eyes at the schematics. "I-is that a…"

"A Gatling gun? You're goddamn right it is!" Ruby laughed. "I'm planning to ask Coco for some tips, I hope she's okay with that. Though it's a much more heavy version than Coco's and for now it takes some time to deploy. I haven't gotten around that issue yet."

"And what's that?" Jaune asked, pointing at a familiar, cylindrical shape, "Is that the same as Weiss'…"

"Yep! It's a revolver chamber for dust," Ruby nodded proudly. "Inspired from Myrtenaster. I'll use a similar system to store dust."

"…And that? What is that!"

"A catapult!"

"Wh-what?!" Jaune gasped.

"Just kidding!" Ruby laughed and slapped his shoulder, "How do you think I can fill a catapult in there? You dummy!"

"But if it's you, I wouldn't be surprised." Jaune smiled.

"Ooouh~ Is that a challenge?" Ruby narrowed her eyes at him, grinning smugly.

"Maybe?" Jaune smiled.

"Don't tempt me!" She giggled.

Jaune laughed with her, before looking at all the schematics. "But… Ruby, isn't this going to be too heavy for you?"

"All the parts are detachable! So I can discard some parts and go back to a simple scythe if I need to! And I also plan to use gravity dust to make it lighter, so it'll be okay!"

"You've really thought of everything…" Jaune sighed.

 _So cool… I want a weapon, too._

* * *

 **Later.**

"Today, we welcome back one our dear students who got suspended for a little while! People, give a round of applause for the return of… Jaune Arc!"

Silence.

"Dad…" Ruby and Yang winced together as Mr. Xiao-Long remained frozen in front of the crowd, waiting for them to applause.

No one moved, even among Jaune's friends. This was more likely due to Mr. Xiao-Long's eccentric tendencies, rather than Jaune's reputation.

"I see, you all must be quite tired!" Mr. Xiao-Long gave an awkward laugh.

"If he's back, then where is Miss Goodwitch, sir?" Someone asked.

"She's taking some vacations! Due to an unfortunate accident, her arm was broken, you see…"

"…"

People started to mutter among themselves, turning to point at Jaune.

 _Here we go again…_ Jaune sighed to himself, as his teammates tensed up and glared back at them.

"Calm down!" The teacher raised his voice, "Students, please! Silence!"

People slowly calmed down as the teacher's voice started to sound pissed off.

"Mr. Arc!" Mr. Xiao-Long called him, his usual grin gone from his face. "Please come on stage, you'll be the first to fight today."

"...Why?" Jaune asked.

"Because a single fight with you will probably last a lot longer than the other fights." He explained, "It's best to get it out of the way first."

 _Because of my large Aura... I see._

"...Well... Crap." Jaune groaned as he stood up.

"Good luck, Jaune!" Ruby pat his arm.

"Fight well," Weiss told him, while Blake simply gave him a silent nod.

"Do we have a volunteer to fight Mr. Arc?" Mr. Xiao-Long asked as Jaune stepped onto the stage.

Silence.

Of course, people were afraid to lose a limb.

Who was going to brave such a risk?

Then, to Jaune's surprise, a hand was raised.

"Oh!" Mr. Xiao-Long smiled, pleasantly surprised, "You're usually so quiet… Mr… Ren, was it?"

Ren nodded silently and swiftly jumped down on stage.

He and Jaune exchanged a nod before Mr. Xiao-Long came over to Jaune.

"Hey," He lowered his voice so that only Jaune could hear him, "No semblance, remember, Jaune?"

"Huh?" Jaune tilted his head to the side.

"You were the one who agreed with Ozpin and Glynda that you would not break anything until the end of the semester." Mr. Xiao-Long reminded him.

"...All right, no problem." Jaune shrugged.

Even if he had been allowed to, he would not have used his semblance. Even if he controlled his power now, Jaune still remained cautious. It was too risky yet, too early. One mistake and he would break a bone.

Ren was a good friend... He could not risk breaking another friend's body.

"…"

"See this as a test of patience." The teacher suggested gently, apparently pitying him. "And maybe find a weapon for your next fight, if you want to really try to win some spars."

"A weapon..." Jaune mused. "Okay..."

"All right." The man smiled at him and stepped back to raise his voice. "Now! Are you two ready?"

"Yes." Ren answered calmly, taking a stance.

"Yes…" Jaune nodded.

"Then… Begin!"

"…"

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, unmoving.

Jaune frowned as he watched Ren stare back at him.

Lie Ren was a fighter that used closed combat martial arts, but he also had two guns as ranged options, and a pair of sharp blades to go along with them.

If he was to draw his two guns and open fire on him, there wasn't much Jaune could do. He would try his best to parry and lose, like, 15 or 20% of his Aura before Ren would run out of ammo.

Then Ren would attack him and start beating him up. From there, all Jaune would be able to do would be to reduce the damage to the maximum without tiring himself out, and wait for Ren to be exhausted.

…In that scenario, Ren might keep his ammo for when he's exhausted, to take a breather.

No… In the first place, Ren had no way of knowing how big Jaune's Aura reserve was.

 _Can I exploit that?_ Jaune wondered.

At that moment, Ren finally decided to dash towards Jaune, engaging the fight.

Jaune tried to parry his first strike, but somehow his arm was forcibly raised up, and Ren's palm struck him right below the chin, sending Jaune flying in the air.

From there, Ren chained a combination of attacks, not letting Jaune the time to breath, each strike impacting Jaune's body with tremendous force. As pain surged from each impact on his Aura, Jaune tried to dodge, but he quickly realized how wide the gap of skill was when Ren somehow returned Jaune's own punch against himself by using his arm as a lever.

So Jaune quickly gave up on trying to block or dodge Ren's attacks, and... became a punching bag.

For ten minutes, Jaune got beaten up, one punch after the other, one kick after the other, one palm strike after the other, gritting his teeth through the pain.

This was no surprise… His chances of winning were pretty slim, honestly.

After a while… Ren finally paused. He didn't seem exhausted at all.

Slowly standing up, wincing under the pain, Jaune looked up at the main screen.

 _Jaune Arc: 96,21%_

 _Lie Ren: 100%_

"…Huh. That's it?" Jaune raised his eyebrows, surprised.

 _I underestimated my reserve of Aura... It really is massive._

Hearing his comment, Ren narrowed his eyes at him.

… _Ah, crap. Did I make him angry? I didn't mean to sound so disappointed. It's only been ten minutes._ _In one hour, Ruby only managed to take 17% off Jaune's Aura, so 4% in ten minutes is actually rather impressive._

Jaune suddenly noticed Ren changing his stance.

And then he vanished.

Something struck Jaune from behind with tremendous force. He was sent like a bolt crashing into the wall.

 _What the… Where did he get that strength? Was he holding back all along?_

"A-awch…" Jaune winced as he tried to stand up again, holding his back in the middle of a cloud of dust.

Looking up, Jaune noticed Ren's green Aura shine within his hands.

This made him realize. This was an Aura technique!

Before Jaune had time to react, Ren was on him again, and struck him with his palm on his right side. Jaune was once again sent flying across the room, sliding against the wall until he crashed in the corner.

 _Yeah, I felt it... This is definitely an Aura technique!_

His spirit lifted by that discovery, Jaune stood back up immediately and dashed towards Ren for the first time.

 _Use it again!_

Sure enough, just like Jaune wanted him to, Ren prepared for his arrival by gathering his green Aura into his fist and threw it towards Jaune's chest.

Jaune felt Ren's Aura expand inside the shell that was Ren's fist, before it cracked and shattered as he opened his palm, unleashing a powerful force when he slapped it onto Jaune's chest, which blew him away.

Jaune was sent flying once again, slid on the ground for a couple of seconds, and stood back up again, a tiny smile forming on his face.

Jaune's senses were extremely sharp when it came to Aura. From what Jaune could understand, Ren was building up Aura inside his fist and unleashing it by opening his hand into a palm, and pushing it forward to add momentum, resulting in the release of a powerful force in a cone-like area in front of his palm.

A technique that relied on the motion of opening one's fist into a palm as a trigger to unleash large amounts of Aura…

 _As he hit me with his technique, I could sense what he did. A few more times... and I'm pretty sure I can learn that skill._

 _And then, I'll_ _practice it on him and_ _use it to_ _defeat him…_

 _Since I'm not allowed to use my semblance,_ _for now_ _, I need another way to use my giant reserve of Aura_ _to win my spars in Combat Training classes_ _, and this_ _technique_ _is perfect for that!_

A genius of Aura control! Such was Jaune's level of prodigy: he could learn Aura tricks extremely fast! This was not an exaggeration, one could even say he was the kind of prodigy that only showed up every other century!

 _But I need him to keep using it, first._

Jaune glanced at the Aura monitoring screen.

 _Lie Ren: 97,02%_

 _Jaune Arc: 93,87%_

Since Ren used that technique three times, it looked like it consumed 1% of his Aura for each use. But the three strikes only damaged Jaune's Aura by 2% in total, despite Ren having used 3% of his Aura.

In other words, it was a technique that was not worth the use, because of the large difference of Aura between Ren and Jaune!

As Jaune was thinking that, Ren dashed towards him and used his technique again.

"Ugh…!" Jaune groaned as Ren's palm impacted his stomach.

 _He's targeting different parts of my body… almost as if he's poking a dead body to test for reactions. The t_ _hing is, it also makes it harder for me to get a proper feel of that technique…_

Jaune was once again sent flying.

As he tried to control his crash, he slid on the ground and came to a stop, but Jaune's stomach suddenly twisted itself, and he felt vomit rise up his throat.

"Ugh…" He gulped it down and stood up again.

Getting launched around like a rag-doll was starting to have a tax on his body… even if he protected himself with Aura.

"..."

Jaune clenched his fist and started to accumulate Aura into it, finally trying to replicate Ren's technique.

Before he could finish it, Ren struck him in his back and interrupted him by unleashing Aura from his palm once again.

 _He keeps using his technique… Does he not care that he's losing a lot of Aura?_

 _Probably not,_ Jaune realized _. Even if he goes below 30%, he most likely thinks that I wouldn't be able to finish him anyway._

 _So he's just trying to damage my Aura as fast as possible…_

 _I'll prove him wrong!_

Jaune staggered back up again, only to see Ren dashing towards him again.

This time, Jaune focused his Aura around his entire body, reinforcing his defense.

Ren's palm opened and slammed onto his chest, and this time, Jaune barely staggered backward.

However, before he could raise his guard again, Ren punched him in the face, not letting him restore his defense.

After a combination of punches and kicks, Ren finished his combo by another powerful palm strike, sending Jaune rising in the air.

"Ugh...!"

Now in mid-air, Jaune widened his eyes as gravity slowed him down and made him fall back towards Ren, who was accumulating a dangerous amount of Aura in his fist.

Seeing this, Jaune decided to simply close his eyes and focus on the coming impact of his palm, to maximize his perception of the Aura technique.

This specific attack was much more powerful than all the others before. Jaune distinctly felt the Aura condensed in Ren's fist coming to a tipping point as he opened his palm, and violently explode outwards, sending Jaune crashing into the ceiling.

"Bwargh...!" Jaune almost vomited once again under the force of the blow, pain spreading through his entire body.

 _Holy crap…!_ He panicked as his body got stuck into the ceiling. _So strong…!_ _That one must have taken_ _a lot more_ _Aura!_

Now, how did Jaune get out of here? He couldn't break the ceiling with his semblance because of the stupid rule. Looking down, Jaune saw Ren waiting for him to get down.

This ceiling was quite high... At least twenty meters high.

 _I see… Ren knows I don't have a landing strategy, and takes advantage of it to deal even more damage when I'll fall down!_

What an intelligent guy.

 _However, this gives me time to learn this skill._ Jaune thought as he started gathering Aura into his hands once again.

 _Clic!_

"...!" Jaune widened his eyes as Ren pointed his guns right at him and fired.

The bullets impacted Jaune's body, causing extreme pain as his Aura protected him, but the bullets also somehow broke him out of the ceiling.

This caused Jaune to fall back to crash into the ground. Upon impact, he felt his body bounce off the ground once, and intense pain shot into his body. This was the damage caused by not having a proper landing strategy...

Before, his Aura would have helped cushion his landing by disintegrating the ground into sand, but now his Aura no longer protected him from such accidents.

The world danced around Jaune as he tried to recover his senses, motion sickness threatening to kick in at any moment.

His body was weak! It was not used to such harsh treatment!

Never mind his giant Aura reserve… at this rate, Jaune was going to pass out!

Thinking about it… Ren didn't need to damage his Aura until 15% to win. All he needed was to make Jaune faint from anemia!

This was usually how his spars with Ruby ended, too... Not by reaching 15%, but by fainting of exhaustion or anemia.

 _That's what Ren intended to do from the beginning_ , Jaune suddenly realized. _I need to rest...!_

As he was lying on the ground, trying to slowly recover from his fall, someone kicked his face, sending him rolling.

Ren was merciless!

To counter this, Jaune shrunk on himself and adopted the fetal position, and focusing his Aura to raise his defense, just long enough to recover from the rough landing.

As Ren tried to pummel his Aura down, Jaune endured and gathered Aura in his fist.

 _I nearly got it down. I just need to test it to be sure…_

Ren paused, probably noticing the white light coming out from the fist that Jaune was trying to hide under his body.

Figuring he was going to be found out, Jaune took a step up and jumped towards Ren like a beast, throwing his fist forward.

As he opened his fist and directed his palm towards Ren, Jaune's Aura was released in a powerful wave!

Taken by surprise, Ren was successfully blown away from Jaune! Ren did, however, manage to land a lot more gracefully than Jaune did. Ren had perfected his landing strategy, after all.

"…You…" Ren looked up, frowned and narrowed his eyes at Jaune.

 _Lie Ren: 82,41%_

 _Jaune Arc: 86,79%_

"…"

Wordlessly, Jaune started to gather Aura into his fist again.

He had no choice, it was the only way he could damage Ren's Aura without using his semblance. So Jaune was going to spam that technique, even if it did take a long minute to charge up every time.

 _Clic!_

Ren suddenly pointed his guns at Jaune, who widened his eyes and raised his arms to cover his face-

A shower of bullets impacted Jaune, interrupting his focus once again.

This wasn't fair…! Jaune had no weapons to defend himself from a gun like that.

 _Those are quite powerful bullets…_ Jaune mused, his Aura tanking the damage, feeling the pain of each impact on his body. If this continued, his body would not be able to keep up!

The firing stopped, and Jaune lowered his arms and looked towards Ren. He had disappeared.

"Huh…?" Jaune blinked and looked around.

He suddenly remembered his sparring with Ruby, who had disappeared in a similar way.

 _Behind!_

Jaune turned around, just in time to receive a kick in the face.

"Ugh…!" Jaune staggered back and gathered Aura in his fist again.

Once again, as Jaune charged up his fist, he endured an assault of Ren, who even started using his guns' blades to slash at his Aura.

But even though Jaune was getting beaten up, he was still managing to charge up his fist!

"Haaa!" After a minute, Jaune finally threw his fist towards Ren and opened his palm…

But the guy instantly jumped away, resulting in Jaune's Aura dispersing harmlessly in the air! That guy was too fast.

 _However, this is good practice._ Jaune mused.

He gathered Aura in his fist again, and started to spam the technique every time he could, while Ren avoided all the attacks easily and retaliated with his own Aura strikes.

Jaune was getting beat up and slashed down, but he still managed to focus his Aura flow into his fist despite all the attacks he suffered.

How? Jaune was a genius of Aura control! Simple as that.

But as twenty other minutes passed like this, Jaune was growing more and more tired. His weak body and stamina were catching up to him… he needed to end this fight quickly!

Jaune suddenly had an idea. He took the time to gather Aura into his fist once again, threw it forward, and let Ren dodge it easily.

However, Jaune had predicted this. He had purposefully not opened his palm, and continued to gather Aura in his fist without releasing it.

Even though Jaune sucked at hand-to-hand combat, he had finally successfully used a feint for the first time! His basic hand-to-hand combat training had not been useless.

He continued to accumulate more and more Aura into his fist, causing Ren to stop.

Jaune smiled. Even for Ren who was super fast, this much Aura was getting too risky, huh?

 _Dzzzt…_

Jaune looked down apprehensively at his fist, which was shining very brightly. Maybe… This was a little too much energy?

 _Crack!_

His fist suddenly ignited in white fire, showing how unstable the mass of Aura was growing inside his hand.

Jaune winced as his hand was burning white flames, and he remembered what Weiss had told him: ' _It is likely due to the instability of your Aura, which makes it vibrate back and forth. The energy resulting from the friction creates heat_.'

In other words... White flames = instability = a lot harder to control. So Jaune could not pump more Aura into his fist, it would be too hard to control.

"…" Jaune looked up at Ren.

He was now maintaining his distances, carefully eyeing his fist shining with white flames.

"…"

Jaune stopped focusing Aura into his flaming fist, deciding he had gathered enough energy to deal heavy damage. This much Aura would probably one-shot Ren, honestly.

Instead, Jaune started charging up his other fist.

This was because he predicted that Ren would dodge the first fist. This way, his chances of landing a hit doubled.

Ren did the same, except the guy could charge up his fists instantly, compared to Jaune who needed a lot more time since he was a novice of this technique.

"…"

"…"

The two of them spent a minute waiting for Jaune to charge up his second fist. It seemed like Ren preferred to let him come and defend rather than taking the risk to attack.

 _Crack!_

Eventually, his second fist also ignited in white fire, signaling the instability of the Aura.

…It was time.

"Go, Jauuuune!" Ruby's voice came to his ears.

"Break his legs, Ren!" Nora cheered back.

To Jaune's surprise, Ren was the one who moved the first, dashing towards him.

"…?" Jaune stepped back and raised his flaming fists, preparing to open his palms to release all the energy he had accumulated inside his fists.

As Ren was still a few meters away, the guy suddenly threw his own palm forward.

An invisible force impacted Jaune's arms, forcibly raising them in the air!

Jaune widened his eyes. _The same skill, but from a distance? He can do that?!_

Jaune hurriedly lowered his arms again to restore his guard, but it was too late, Ren was already on him!

Ren grabbed his fists _in_ _to_ his hands, keeping them shut on themselves. He was stopping Jaune from opening his fists, which was the trigger to release the Aura blast onto Ren!

"… Ugh!" Ren winced in pain as the white fire was burning his fingers, but he still kept them firmly closed onto Jaune's fists.

"Let go...!" Jaune tried to struggle against his grip, but it was useless. Ren was massively stronger than he was.

Suddenly, Ren ruthlessly twisted Jaune's arms and forced him to point them right at Jaune's chest.

And then... Ren forced Jaune's fists open.

"Ah-" Jaune widened his eyes as the large amount of his own Aura stored within his hands was unleashed on himself.

 _BOOOOM!_

A tremendous amount of power exploded from his own hands, causing intense pain and violently sent him crashing into the wall!

Jaune lost his breath as his body impacted the wall. He trembled as pain surged into his articulations, trying to stand up again.

The edge of his vision started blackening, his head feeling heavy.

As his world went black, Jaune finally realized.

Ren had _let him_ copy his technique, knowing that Jaune would use it against him next… Ren had planned to return Jaune's own firepower against him… which was why he had waited for both of Jaune's fists to be supercharged with Aura. All of this, because Ren's attacks did not deal enough damage... so he resorted to use Jaune's attack against himself.

...

...

 _I was completely outclassed…_ Jaune thought as his body finally gave out, and he went unconscious.

…

…

…

* * *

 _Clap clap clap clap._

"Winner: Lie Ren!" Mr. Xiao-Long's voice announced.

 _Clap clap clap clap._

As everyone applauded Ren's victory, Jaune opened his eyes on the ceiling with difficulty. He was lying on the ground.

"…"

"Good fight," Ren's head appeared above him and offered his hand.

Jaune grabbed it, exhausted. "Good fight," He sighed as he was helped up.

 _Lie Ren: 62.21%_

 _Jaune Arc: 70,14%_

In the end, Jaune's weak body hadn't been able to keep up with getting punched around like a rag doll… That last blast had been enough to make him lose consciousness.

He was still too weak. He needed to train his stamina, and his endurance more.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Ren advised. "You've gained something from this fight, haven't you?"

Jaune looked at his hand. He clenched his fist and focused his Aura inside it.

Then he opened his hand, releasing the Aura into the air, and dispersing it like a tiny wisp.

"You're right," Jaune smiled at Ren. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The guy replied, "And also... If you're that quick at learning this skill… Perhaps it won't take you too long to learn Fox's technique, too." He suggested and turned away.

As he watched Ren's back and followed after him, Jaune wondered.

 _Did he actually intentionally volunteered, knowing I would copy his technique?_

 _To give me something I can use, other than my semblance…?_

"…"

* * *

 **That night…**

"And then… BOOM! He got it returned it against himself, the dum-dum!"

"Nora…" Ren sighed. "I'm pretty sure everyone was there to see that."

"It was Ren's plan all along! He had given Jaune the hope for victory… and squashed it away, just like an annoying Nevermore chick!" Nora continued, waving her arms around.

"I still think it wasn't a fair fight." Ruby pouted, "Not only Jaune doesn't even have a weapon, but he also couldn't use his semblance."

"He makes up for it with his giant Aura though," Weiss replied and looked at him. "Honestly, if it was me, I'm not sure I'd have the firepower to knock you out, Jaune."

"Neither do I," Yang laughed, grinning widely, "Since you wouldn't be able to damage me, I wouldn't be able to gain enough strength to knock you out! Hahaha!"

"Not funny," Jaune groaned at her.

"As usual with Yang," Blake commented from behind her book, causing Jaune to grin.

"Hey!" Yang protested.

"I think it was an impressive fight on both parts," Pyrrha declared. "It was certainly amazing to see how fast you learned that technique, Jaune."

"Yes, that was so... jarring to see!" Weiss nodded along.

"It's still far from perfect," Ren replied, perhaps a little upset at Jaune's learning speed. "He has to charge it for a long time before being able to use it."

"And, unlike Ren, I can't use it from a distance," Jaune nodded along.

 _Yet._ Jaune added in his mind.

"It's a shame you can't touch Dust without depleting it," Weiss sighed, very disappointed. "You would have made a great Dust wielder."

"What about ' _The Dusty Rosé_ '? You able to touch that?" Yang grinned, raising the bottle of alcohol named as such.

"…Alcohol?" Jaune hesitated, a little apprehensive. "I don't know… What about Ruby?"

"I can handle it!" Ruby crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks. As usual, she was upset every time people mentioned her age and did not want to be left out because of it.

"A little glass won't hurt." Blake nodded. "I remember, I was fourteen when I first got fried-"

"Yes, yes..." Weiss rolled her eyes. "We know you did everything before everyone else, Blake. You don't have to keep bragging about it."

"Jealous, princess?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"It's heiress!" Weiss huffed.

"I say, who wants to see a drunk Schneeeeeee!" Nora suddenly shouted, to which everyone cheered, making Weiss blush in embarrassment.

"N-no… I don't want to drink…" She protested weakly as Yang put a glass in her hand. "It… It makes people violent and depressed…!"

"Yeah, right, and video-games make people toxic and spread negativity, too," Ruby rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Suuure!"

"That's only when you drink alone, Weiss," Yang reassured the heiress. "Don't worry, if you don't like it you can give me your glass, I'll gladly finish it~"

"You shouldn't drink too much, Yang," Pyrrha recommended.

"Riiight, actually, I want to see you drunk too, chief!" Yang smirked as she put her arm around Pyrrha's shoulder.

"Me too!" Nora joined in and put an arm around Pyrrha's other shoulder. "I want to see _everyone_ drunk tonight!"

"Not gonna happen," Ren replied.

"Party pooper!"

"Ew, yuck…" Ruby grimaced after taking a sip of her own glass.

"You don't have to drink if you don't want to," Jaune said, still a little worried since she was younger.

"Take a cocktail, it'll taste sweeter," Blake recommended.

"But it's more treacherous," Yang warned. "Careful, sis, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby nodded, taking the cocktail that Blake was handing to her.

"…" Jaune smiled as he looked at Yang.

Before, that girl would have definitely freaked out if someone handed alcohol to her little sis. Now, however, it looked like she had taken a step back from her overprotective tendencies.

She had probably realized that with the two of them split into different teams, she could not shield her baby sister forever, so she might as well let her experience it while she was around.

"What about you, Jaune?" Ren asked. "You don't drink?"

"Er… I'm not sure I can get drunk," Jaune scratched his head, looking at the alcohol. Would his Aura destroy the alcohol, the same way it killed bacteria? Jaune was not sure.

"Me neither, to be honest." Ren was just as puzzled, "Since my semblance constantly makes me calm and level-headed."

"Let's try it together, then." Jaune offered.

"Sure," Ren smiled.

They grabbed and filled their glass, filled it with some of ' _The Dusty Rosé_ '.

"Everyone!" Yang raised her voice. "Let's have a toast! To Jaune's return among us, and to the restored friendship between our two teams!"

"How corny," Blake commented.

Meanwhile, Jaune was scratching his head, laughing embarrassingly as everyone clinked their glasses with his and congratulated him.

"I want a speech!" Nora claimed.

Jaune froze. A speech?! Oh god, please no.

"U-um..."

"There's absolutely no need for a speech!" Ruby stepped in, "Don't make it awkward!"

"Eeeeh…" Nora gave a disappointed sigh.

Phew! Thank god for Ruby.

...

Though the party involved alcohol, overall, they kept it pretty tame. Mainly, Weiss and Ren were the two who insisted on not drinking too much.

And as the party continued, it became increasingly clear that Weiss absolutely _despised_ alcohol for some reason.

As a consequence, none of them got really drunk... except Nora and Yang. The two girls ended up singing together for a while before going to bed early.

All in all, Jaune enjoyed himself quite a lot, even though he generally wasn't fond of such parties. When it was exclusively kept among friends, though, they became bearable.

* * *

As days passed, Jaune tried to improve his control of Ren's ' _Aura Palm Strike_ ' technique, and also started his training of Fox's Aura skill, the ' _Aura Extrasensory Perception_ ' technique, or ' _AEP_ ' for short.

From what Fox had told him, there were four stages of training to achieve mastery of such a skill.

\- First: mastering meditation. Jaune already did that, so he skipped to stage two.

\- Second: Expand Aura outside the body, building what could be called a tiny 'perceptive field' and sense the movements and changes occurring through this Aura, and feel it move. This required a perfect state of meditation, or one would not be able to sense anything through his Aura. It was also something that required excellent Aura control, but for Jaune it was no problem.

Currently, Jaune was diligently practicing stage two. After a week, he had already managed to build a perceptive field around his right hand and even slightly sense what moved around it, or what changes occurred.

If Jaune had to take an educated guess, he would need a month or two before he would be fully used to such a sense.

The third stage, which was expanding the tiny, invisible 'perceptive field' in a spherical shape around him, should take twice as much time as the second stage.

And finally, the fourth stage, the hardest one: maintaining all of the previous stages while moving and fighting. This was, for all intent and purposes, an optional stage, as Ren had not completed that part himself: Ren still needed to close his eyes and stand still to use this skill, and could not use it while moving or with his eyes open. Fox, however, had completely perfected this stage and was now able to move around easily and fight at the same time as using this skill; which compensated for his blindness.

All in all, Jaune concluded that if he stopped the training at the third stage, it should take no more than six months for Jaune to learn this technique, probably less. Quite the commitment, but still a lot shorter than the years of training that Fox and Ren had described.

However, this training, along with his practicing of the ' _Aura Palm Strike_ ' technique, drastically reduced the time Jaune previously dedicated to training his semblance. But to Jaune, it was worth it; since he was not allowed to use his semblance to win his spar – or for anything, really, except killing Grimm. If he wanted a decent grade in Combat Class, he needed to win at least a few matches.

Though the time for training his semblance was greatly reduced, it was not completely removed, as Jaune knew better than to fully stop the training that was allowing him to control the semblance that cursed his entire life. He was still unsure whether or not his Aura could ' _wake up_ ' once again, so he did not dare to neglect it.

Adding to all of this, Jaune also increased his stamina training and reduced his strength training, in accordance with what Mr. Xiao-Long had told him.

' _You don't need strength.'_ The man had said, _'You can already deal deadly damage with your semblance. Focus on your stamina. So that you don't faint with 70% Aura left.'_

A fair point, Jaune had to admit.

He also continued his spars in hand-to-hand combat with Ruby - much to her dismay.

Needless to say, it was hard to keep up this intense schedule, especially when his academics weren't the greatest, either…

Time... he needed more time... There was never enough time.

"Jauuune…"

"…"

"Jauuuuuuuune…"

"…" Jaune frowned, keeping his eyes shut.

"Jauuuuneeyyyy…?"

"…What is it, Rubes." Jaune sighed, opening his eyes.

"I was thinking, you work so hard… Aren't you tired?" Ruby asked worriedly, "You really should find more time to relax, Jaune. Don't push yourself or you're gonna faint from anemia."

"It's fine. If it's Aura training, I'll never get tired!" Jaune grinned and waved it away," Besides, I'm going to take tomorrow off."

"Really?" Ruby grinned in relief.

"Yeah, I've got this appointment with the therapist." Jaune said, "So I won't have the time to train."

"Oh…" Ruby blinked, looking disappointed for a second. She cheered up quickly though, "So… You're gonna go to Vale?"

"Yeah."

"But, um… won't you have to take a… bullhead…?" Ruby asked slowly.

"…"

"…"

They shared a glance.

 _Ah crap, here we go again…_

* * *

 **The day after.**

"Bwaaargh…" Jaune vomited in a bucket.

"Jeez." Miss Goodwitch sighed, holding the bucket and patting his back. "We're nearly there. Hold on, just a little longer."

While the bullhead still gave him motion sickness, which caused him to vomit, he did not break anything.

Still, he really needed to get medicine for that motion sickness.

"We've arrived," Miss Goodwitch finally declared.

"Aah…" Jaune sighed in relief as he stepped on solid ground. "Finally…"

"I'll get some medicine for you when we return to Beacon," Miss Goodwitch pat his arm, giving him a bottle of water, which Jaune gratefully accepted.

After taking a good sip, Jaune took a look around the street.

Tall buildings and diverse culture. Lots of people walking around and going in and out of various shops. Jaune had never spent time in the commercial district of the main city of Vale, so he was naturally thrilled to be here!

"Now, now, don't linger too much, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch warned him, "You don't want to be late for your first appointment."

"Technically, it's not the first." Jaune pointed out with a smile.

"The first in years, then." Miss Goodwitch replied. "I'm going to shop a little on my own, and grab some medicine for your motion sickness. We will meet each other back here. Understood?"

Naturally, Miss Goodwitch had not wanted to let him take a Bullhead on his own, after what happened to the last bullhead. So she had gone with him to make sure everything would be all right, as a precaution.

"Yes!" Jaune smiled, "See you later, Miss Goodwitch!"

"All right, take care."

Turning to the streets, Jaune made his way to the location of the therapist's office.

* * *

 **Later.**

"Jaune Arc?" An old voice called.

Looking up from his seat, Jaune saw a familiar old man with round glasses and a white beard.

"Long time no see, sir." He greeted.

The old man laughed, looking him up and down. "Amazing, amazing! Come in! How are you…?" He asked as he led him into his office.

"Good," Jaune smiled and took a seat on the sofa. "What about you, sir? I hope you didn't miss me too much!"

"…" The old man went quiet for a moment, staring at him. "…Amazing."

"Er, what?" Jaune blinked.

"I can already tell, you have changed so much, Jaune! How in the world did you manage to go through such a radical change?"

"Um, no, I don't think I've changed that much…" Jaune frowned, kinda embarrassed.

"No, you have, that is certain! For example, you do not stutter anymore!"

"That's not true…" Jaune shook his head, "You should have seen me negotiating my release to the headmaster, I was a mess."

"Hah!" The man barked a laugh, and finally sat in front of Jaune, a low table between the two of them. "Ozpin! Well, I don't fault you for getting uncomfortable around him! He is quite an important man. Many people find themselves sweating of nervousness just talking to him, much less going against his plans." The old man chuckled, caressing his beard. "I have talked to him a few times, it is certainly true that he can be quite difficult to handle!"

Jaune just gave a polite smile and nodded along.

This man was William Lotus. He was an old therapist and psychologist who built himself a bad reputation due to not following the procedural rules of thumb of the job, being brutally honest, and overall not caring about political correctness.

Moreover, by listening to him; one might think such a man had taken a liking to Jaune, but do not be fooled: he had merely taken an interest in his _case_ , much like a scientist excited for a particularly rare experiment.

Of course, as a therapist, his goal was to help him, that part didn't change. It was more like the man had taken his case as a challenge, so to say, and as such, he was probably thrilled to finally see him again.

Mr. Lotus caressed his beard, his eyes observing him. "Well then, well then! How about…" he mused for a moment, almost humming a tone under his breath as he looked through the multitude of papers lying on the table, "Hmmm… First, let's confirm what I think I know… Tell me about what you did ever since our last session… Which was…?"

"Six years ago," Jaune answered, "When I killed those three Grimm."

"Yes, yes…" Mr Lotus nodded, "You even made it in the newspaper, didn't you? ' _Young civilian child kills three Grimm and becomes the town's hero.'_ " He read, having pulled out an old piece of newspaper. "Amazing! At such a young age!"

"We both know what killed these Grimm…" Jaune shrugged, "It wasn't really my doing."

"Indeed, your power protected you." He acknowledged. "So… What happened after that? You stopped coming after this event."

"…"

 _At that time, it was when I realized Summer would probably never come back… Seeing Grimm for the first time, I finally figured out that she had been killed by these monsters. Though some doubt remained, I started losing faith._

"Well…" Jaune hesitated.

He started telling him about what his life had been after he had burned that one house belonging to his foster parents, which led to Miss Crappert calling Miss Goodwitch.

However, he had never talked about Summer, as she was the only thing he had never talked about to the therapist.

Perhaps, the fact that he had been keeping such information to himself, was why the ' _therapy_ ' had not worked back then.

Still, other than Summer Rose, Jaune gave the therapist as many details as possible, up to his actual release and his talk to Ozpin.

"So… around a month ago, one of your classmates, Cardin Winchester, got seriously injured because of your semblance," The man said slowly, clearly being careful with his words. "How… How do you feel about this incident, Jaune?"

"…This was an unfortunate accident…" Jaune sighed regretfully, "It was a big defeat for me who wanted to control my power. But I've managed to learn from it, thankfully. I've forgiven myself and now I keep moving forward without thinking too much about it."

"…What about Mr. Winchester?"

"What about him?"

"I don't know."

"..."

"..."

"I've gone to see him." Jaune finally admitted.

"..."

"His entire body was broken. But I was able to face him properly. Now my heart is serene and I can move on. I don't feel too bad about him since he was someone I disliked a lot."

"…"

"In fact, I'm glad it was him, rather than one of my teammates…" Jaune mused. "And in a way, since he was the one who triggered such a change within me, I no longer hate him as much as I used to..."

"…"

The old man was silent for a moment.

"…On a scale from zero to a hundred… How upset are you about the whole situation with Mr. Winchester? With zero not caring at all, and a hundred being the most upset you've been in your life."

"…"

"…"

"Maybe… fifteen." Jaune eventually answered.

"...Fifteen." The man repeated.

"Fifteen." Jaune nodded and shrugged.

"…Amazing… Amazing…" Mr. Lotus muttered to himself, eyes wide, and searched in his papers for something.

…This old man was as crazy as ever. His habit of repeating ' _amazing_ ' hadn't changed, even after all this time. Even though he was sometimes capable of wisdom… Therapists weren't supposed to mutter in their beard like that right in front of their patient. Maybe he was growing senile?

...His bad reputation may be warranted after all.

"…O-oh, there it is, there it is…" The old man adjusted his glasses, reading the paper. "Amazing…!"

Jaune leaned back in the sofa and waited for a long moment as he watched the old man read some piece of paper.

"At the time, though, how upset were you?" The therapist finally asked.

"Ah… I'd say, ninety-five at least." Jaune said, remembering losing a lot of sleep over that accident.

"… Then, what do you think made your feelings go from 'ninety-five' to 'fifteen'?"

"Why does it matter?" Jaune replied. "I've re-ascertained something that I had heavy doubts about. It took a weight off my shoulders."

Summer's influence on Jaune's life was the only thing he had not conveyed to this man, and he intended to keep it that way.

"Hmm… And this was enough to calm you down?"

"It was enough." Jaune nodded.

"…That's good… That's very good…" The old man mused.

"…"

The man flipped the pages of his notebook.

"All right… This… This is truly amazing," The old man chuckled to himself.

Jaune raised his eyebrows, unimpressed.

Somehow, when that old man said the word ' _amazing_ ', his sentences lost all their sense. It was like, the word ' _amazing_ ' negated all his credibility.

"Okay, then… Let's talk about _why_ you are here, Jaune." Mr. Lotus declared, "Headmaster Ozpin has requested you to seek therapy… Why do you think he's asked us to meet like this?"

"Why…" Jaune frowned. "I don't know… Maybe it's to make himself feel better?"

The man raised his eyebrows. "Feel better?"

"I think Ozpin is afraid of me," Jaune stated. "He does not trust me. He does not believe in my ability to control my semblance. Putting me in therapy is a way of trying to make me change, even though there is nothing wrong."

"That's what you think?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel about it."

"I just told you…"

"No, those were your thoughts. What about your feelings?"

"…" Jaune looked away. "I, uh… I feel like I'm not trusted…"

"No, no, no. That is a _thought_. Tell me how you _feel_."

Jaune frowned. "How I feel about _going_ to therapy…? Or how I feel about Ozpin _putting me_ in therapy?"

"Ahah…!" Mr. Lotus nodded in understanding, "You feel like you have no control? Angry, frustrated? Would it have been better, perhaps, if you had made that decision by yourself?"

"Yes." Jaune simply nodded, "Exactly."

"Have you considered the idea that… Ozpin may be trying to _prevent_ another accident, rather than making you change, or making himself ' _feel better_ ' like you said?"

"…"

"...Let's be clear, Jaune." The old man straightened up. "If you feel like there is no problem… Then there is no problem. We're simply here to talk… Nothing else. I will not try to make you do things you don't want to."

"Right…" Jaune hesitated.

"There is no reason for you to change, is there?" The old man questioned.

"There isn't." Jaune nodded.

"Is there no problem at all in your current lifestyle?"

"None at all. I've never felt so good. This week has been very enjoyable for me since I finally live with my team again. My friends even threw a party to welcome me back among them. I've never felt so happy in my life."

"Hmmm…"

The old man hummed in his beard and looked at his paper.

"So…" He seemed to search for the right words. "You are… satisfied with everything?"

"…Yes."

"…That's a good state of mind…" He mused. "Usually, people always find something to be unsatisfied about in their life..."

" _Amazing_ , isn't it?" Jaune commented sarcastically.

"Amazing, yes!" The man laughed.

Oh god… Was every therapy session going to be like this? This man was really growing senile.

"We don't have much time left… I'd like to clarify your aspirations real quick before we part ways if that's all right with you." The old man decided." You've talked about it briefly but it left me to wonder... What do you want to do later in your life, Jaune?"

"Um, being a Huntsman?"

"Really? You sound unsure."

"Er…"

"You came to Beacon to get control over your semblance, correct?"

"..."

"That's what you told me, Jaune," Mr. Lotus reminded him.

"Yes…"

"So you did come to Beacon to learn how to control your semblance. Not to become a Huntsman?"

"..."

"..."

"...Yes." Jaune finally admitted. Somehow, just that one word required a lot of effort to speak.

"But now that you've gained control over your powers, you suddenly _do_ want to become a Huntsman?"

"It's not that… It's more like…" Jaune hesitated, somewhat embarrassed by what he was about to say, "I just want… to continue being there for my team, you know."

"Uhuh. But what if they disappear?" Mr. Lotus asked, "Would you still want to become a Huntsman if they weren't there?"

"But they're here." Jaune replied, "It doesn't matter, does it?"

"It really does matter. It is very important that you are not choosing a career only to cater to your friends… or _teachers_. You need to think about yourself first, Jaune, and follow your feelings."

"…I don't think it's _that_ important…" Jaune mused. "Beacon is like, my new home now... Besides, by staying with my friends, I _am_ following my feelings… Aren't I?"

"…We have the chance to live in peace." Mr. Lotus argued, "You are free to choose the path you want, Jaune. Are you sure you will not feel regret?"

Jaune sighed, "But other than Huntsman, I have no idea what I could do. And I've already started the course… I don't want to stop now…"

"I understand that." The man nodded sympathetically. "Because of your semblance, you could not properly explore what the world has to offer, so becoming a Huntsman seems like the only option. Since it is the only thing you've properly experienced… Even all your friends are Huntsmen in training… Am I right?"

"…They are." Jaune admitted. "Look, I understand what you are trying to say, but it's not like I would _hate_ becoming a Huntsman... I would be fine with it. I just lack the drive or the passion, but I think it's something that will come with time... Isn't it?"

"Hmm..."

 _Ding!_

Something suddenly ringed in the room.

"Oh… That's all the time we have for today." The man said and stood up. "Well, I believe I have given you enough food for thought. We've laid some good foundations. What do you think about the time we've spent together?"

"It was definitely interesting," Jaune admitted as he stood up too. "Though I still don't think I need a therapist."

"Well, in the end, all I'm doing is asking questions, and challenging your way of thinking a little bit. We can also simply talk about casual everyday things if you wish so. Since Ozpin has made these sessions mandatory, I would understand if you didn't want to open up…"

"It's fine as it is." Jaune shrugged. "I'll try to figure things out along the way."

"Great! Amazing!" Mr. Lotus grinned and shook his hand vigorously, before leading him outside, "I will see you in two weeks, then… Until next time. Have a good day!"

"You too, sir!"

* * *

Jaune sighed as he stepped out of the building.

Somehow, that was really exhausting… But it definitely made him wonder. Becoming a Huntsman had never really been a dream of his. He definitely didn't have the will, unlike others.

Was it bad or not?

This was going to shape Jaune's entire life... Was it really something that he could do until he died? It wasn't like Jaune disliked the idea, rather, he was worried that he would grow tired or bored of it or that he would somehow come to regret his choice.

However, in the first place, people were supposed to become Huntsman for the sake of others. Meanwhile, Jaune was only thinking about his personal enjoyment... or his friends... Was it not a little uncalled for?

Didn't great responsibility come with great power or something like that?

"Aaargh!" Jaune groaned in frustration, as he didn't know what to think anymore.

 _Dzzzzt. Dzzzzzt._

Jaune's scroll started ringing, so he answered it.

"Jaune? It's Coco!"

"Coco?"

"Listen, I've got a job opportunity for you… You need some money, right?"

"A job…?" Jaune blinked, "Right… I do need money, yeah."

Jaune was poor, he had no money, so it would be nice to have some lien saved up just in case, and to not always rely on people paying things for him. Plus, he needed money for new clothes.

And it may even be a great opportunity to discover a job that had nothing to do with being a Huntsman, who knows.

"I got a call, I know a person who's hiring for a job." Coco continued, "It's not the most _legal_ job there is, but it pays really well. I've done a few myself, but this time I can't do it, I'm too busy experimenting with my semblance, so I thought, maybe I could ask you to replace me."

"Not the most legal?" Jaune repeated suspiciously, frowning, "What do you mean? What's the job, exactly?"

"Can't tell you until you meet the man. He's paranoid like that. Say, Friday at 8:00 pm in Junior's club in Vale?"

"Er…"

Jaune hesitated. Should he accept?

"It's just to meet the guy, nothing's decided yet." Coco specified. "And it's definitely not anything bad, trust me."

"...I'm not sure I can be good enough to replace you, though..." Jaune mused.

To this, Coco laughed. "Oh, don't worry about that. You're definitely good enough!"

"...You sure?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure!" She chuckled. "Come on, rookie, are you in or not?"

"..."

Well, if it was just to meet someone, he could always back out after learning what this was all about. Plus, Jaune was sure he could trust Coco's judgment.

"Okay… I'm in."

* * *

 **A/N: God this chapter was unnecessarily long. I need to learn how to stop a chapter, seriously.**


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